Luanda - The minister of State and chief of the Civil Affairs Office of the Head of State, Adão de Almeida, said Wednesday in the Justice Palace, in Luanda, that the Constitution of the Republic (CRA), in force for the last 13 years, has been able to ensure the much desired political stability of the country.
He said that the evolution of the collective conscience and social mutations require the Constitution to be dynamic, capable of adapting itself permanently.
Adão de Almeida was representing the Head of State, João Lourenço, at the ceremony that served to launch activities to mark the 13th anniversary of the entry into force of the CRA, which is marked on 5 February.
He said that the CRA requires creative judicial and constitutional solutions that are inspired by the idea of legality and the need to build a free, fair, democratic and solidarity society that promotes peace, equality and social progress.
He reminded that the initiative of constitutional revision that took place in 2021, eleven years after the entry into force of the new Constitution of the Republic, broadened the catalogue of fundamental rights.
He went on to say that it enshrined the right to vote for Angolan citizens residing outside the country and clarified the mechanisms for political supervision of governmental activity by the Parliament.
The minister of State said that this action provided greater stability, security and predictability to the institutional relationship between the two sovereign bodies.
Adão de Almeida highlighted the fact that the constitutional revision had increased the autonomy of the National Reserve Bank of Angola.
“The revision gave greater dynamism to the 2010 Constitution, keeping it alive and increased its potential legitimacy”, he said.
According to the minister of State, for an active durability, the Constitution needs to be truly normative with high potential and establish affinity relationship with citizens.
In his speech, he also praised the Constitutional Court´s investment in the constitutional literacy of citizens, such as the elaboration of the “Children´s Constitution”, which included translating the Constitution into different vernacular (indigenous) languages.
He stated that the “week of the Constitution of the Republic of Angola – 2023”, which opened today, will be dedicated to the promotion and protection of children's rights.
Constitutional Court (TC) promotes the Constitution
The President of the Constitutional Court (TC) Laurinda Cardoso, said that the institution intends to reinforce the promotion of the Constitution among children and other cultural sections.
Laurinda Cardoso underlined that the TC intends to continue to make the Constitution an important symbol of national unity, a channel of communication, of sincere and functional dialogue between the institutions, without undermining anyone.
Promoting Children’s Rights
Also at the Palace of Justice, a round table was held on the “Protection of children's rights in the Constitution of the Republic”, with the 1st vice-president of the National Assembly, Américo Cunonoca, the UNICEF child protection representative, Giovanni D´Amato, and the judge of the Constitutional Court, Maria da Conceição Sango, as speakers.
The speakers praised the role of families in the protection and integral education of children.
Américo Cunonoca encouraged the government to strengthen child
protection policies, while Judge Maria Sango defended the creation of measures to reduce the number of homeless children.
UNICEF reaffirmed its commitment to cooperation within the framework of the national development plan.
Answering questions from adolescents, the minister of Social Action, Family and Promotion of Women, Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto, said that the government's priority will continue to be the empowerment of families, due to the essential role they play in the education of children.
Ana Paula do Sacramento also spoke about the implementation of reproductive education programmes to reduce early pregnancy.
Within the scope of the activities planned to celebrate the 13th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic (CRA), a cartoon version for children and translated into the vernacular languages Cuanhama, Nganguela, Fiote and Cokwe was launched today.
