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Introduction       

   

The Citizens' Constitutional Forum Limited (CCF) is a non-government organisation (NGO) based in Suva with more than 10 years' experience in community education and advocacy on the Constitution, democracy, human rights and multiculturalism in Fiji. It is registered as a not-for-profit company under Fiji's Companies Act, and currently has 11 members (similar to shareholders), four Directors and a staff of eight, plus consultants and volunteers.  

   

The CCF believes the people of Fiji need to re-imagine themselves as citizens of a nation, ahead of their ethnic interests and categories, and it strives to help them do so. The CCF also believes that organisations such as itself can help to mobilise civil society and ensure a socially just, accountable and participatory democracy. An active civil society will promote a better understanding of the diversity of Fiji's people. It will foster multiculturalism and strengthen Fiji as a nation.  

   

The major donor to CCF was the European Union (EU) who funded the 'Democratisation, Human Rights and Ethnic Group Reconciliation in the Fiji Islands' project from March 2004 to August 2007. Other current donors include the Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst e.V. (EED), New Zealand International Aid and Development Agency (NZAID), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Council of Churches.
 
The CCF has also received funding from the Commonwealth Secretariat, US Government, World Association of Christian Communication (WACC), European Centre for Conflict Prevention (ECCP), Pacific People's Partnership, Misereor and Methodist Church London. The CCF also receives funding and support from other local organisations and individuals. It works in partnership with Conciliation Resources (CR), a London-based NGO with expertise in conflict prevention.  

   

The CCF is not aligned with any political party.  

   

Individuals and groups are welcome to contact the CCF and get involved in its work.  

 
   

History and Achievements  

 

The CCF was established in 1991, after the imposition of the 1990 Constitution by the military, as a forum for discussion of constitutional issues. Its early activities included bringing together politicians and community leaders who would not otherwise meet, in workshops supported by internationally-recognised constitutional experts. The CCF's first publication was a detailed submission to the Fiji Constitution Review Commission in 1995.
 
It achieved its first major success with the enactment of the 1997 Constitution, which members felt substantially reflected the CCF's submission and work in bringing leaders together.   
 

The CCF is registered under Fiji’s Companies Act as a not-for-profit company, and has its office in Suva, the capital city of Fiji. It has partner organisations and supporters in all major centres of the country’s two main islands, and a network of friends and supporters around the region and the world.

 

In 1996, the CCF was incorporated under Fiji’s Charitable Trusts Act.

 

The coup of 2000 forced another re-think of the CCF’s role, and led to a greater emphasis on advocacy, as the values and principles that the organisation stands for – namely, the 1997 Constitution, democracy, human rights and multiculturalism – were directly threatened. In 2001, after the Chandrika Prasad litigation had restored the Constitution, the CCF mounted a second court case to re-instate the pre-coup Government, which legal advice suggested was a necessary consequence of the earlier judgment. A general election intervened before the case could be finally determined. As a result of our activeness in opposing the 2000 Coup, the Government retaliated by directing the Registrar of Charities to revoke the CCF’s incorporation as a charitable trust. As a result, the “Citizens’ Constitutional Forum Limited” was incorporated as a company in 2003.

 

It was through this series of events that the CCF came to be seen by many as a “watchdog” for the rule of law and defender of the 1997 Constitution. While its relations with the post-coup Government were poor at that time, the CCF continued to receive recognition from other quarters. In 2001, the CCF was awarded the Pacific Human Rights Award in the Fiji Category by the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team.

 

The CCF believes that racialism and coups in Fiji have been fuelled by a combination of factors, including inter-ethnic competition over resources, low levels of education, an indigenous-dominated military, and traditional institutions that are challenged by democracy and human rights. The CCF's major project seeks to counter these factors through a multi-sectoral approach combining community education and strategic advocacy on the Constitution, democracy, human rights and multiculturalism, facilitated dialogue between ethnic communities and constructive engagement with key stakeholders.

 

Goal

The long-term goal of the CCF, is:

 

“To build a nation in which Fiji’s people live together in equality, justice and peace, respecting the rule of law, under a Constitution that guarantees democracy and human rights ”.

 

This coincides with the vision in the CCF’s current strategic plan.

 

Purpose

The main purpose of CCF's work is:

 

“To improve public confidence in Fiji’s Constitution as guarantor of democracy and human rights, and the framework for managing inter-ethnic conflicts, and to promote popular demand for better performance by public bodies.”

 

CCF’s activities over the past 6 years were organised into four themes and six sectors:

 

Themes

1.      Group and Minority Rights

2.      Democracy and the Rule of Law

3.      Housing and Social Exclusion

4.      Resource and Land Rights

 

Sectors

1.      Rural Sector and Human Rights

2.      Youth and Human Rights

3.      Workers and Human Rights

4.      Religion and Human Rights

5.      South Pacific Regional Networks

6.      International Human and Civic Rights Instruments

 

In the past three years, the CCF has placed a growing emphasis on collaboration and constructive engagement with other organisations, especially public bodies; improving professionalism; and strengthening internal systems and processes such as planning, monitoring and evaluation. The CCF has also provided the secretariat for an emerging regional network of NGOs working in the area of conflict prevention, called “Pacific People Building Peace”.
 

 
 
 

Organisational Structure   

The CCF currently employs three staff and has two volunteers. The staff are led by Reverend Akuila Yabaki, who is the Chief Executive Officer.

 

Staff are ultimately responsible to the Board of Directors, which was formed when the CCF became a company in 2003, and currently has a membership of four. All the Directors are volunteers. The Board meets monthly with the Executive Director and the Finance Officer to discuss management and financial matters. The Board also supervises projects at a strategic level and initiates long-term planning.

 

The staff and Board are assisted by a Steering Committee comprising approximately 15 people of mixed gender and diverse ethnicity, religion and experience. The Steering Committee includes the Directors and members of the company (similar to shareholders), among them academics, retired teachers, young professionals, human rights activists, a radio producer, a lawyer and a priest.

 

The Steering Committee meets fortnightly to discuss the CCF’s progress in carrying out activities and achieving project outputs and objectives. It essentially provides a source of ideas and a sounding board for staff on matters relating to their work. Many of its members also assist staff with project activities in a voluntary capacity from time to time.
 

Once per year, the members of the company also meet in an annual general meeting, where they review the CCF’s financial statements, along with Directors’ and auditors’ reports. When funding permits, staff, members, Directors and friends of the CCF also meet annually in retreat.

 

Despite structural changes and the increasing range and sophistication of its activities, the CCF maintains an inclusive organisational culture characterised by openly participatory decision-making. There is a strong emphasis on inclusion and team work.  

   

Further details of the CCF's structure and management arrangements can be found in its project proposal for 2007 to 2010, Strengthening Fiji's Democracy. 

 
 

Strategic Plan

The CCF's strategic plan for 2007 to 2009 describes its vision, mission and strategic priorities for the coming years. [ Vision, mission and strategic priorities]

 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 

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