China 10.7%, Germany 9.23%, US 8.28%, Japan 5.14%, France
3.99% (2007)
Yemen
UAE 15.1%, China 11.6%, US 7.8%, Saudi Arabia 7.1%, Kuwait
5.3%, Germany 4.8% (2007)
Zambia
South Africa 47.4%, UAE 6.3%, China 6%, India 4.1%, UK 4%
(2007)
Zimbabwe
South Africa 50.7%, China 8.4%, US 4.5%, Botswana 4.3%
(2007)
This page was last updated on 18 December 2008
======================================================================
@2062 Economic aid - donor
Australia
ODA, $2.123 billion (2006)
Austria
ODA, $1.498 billion (2006)
Belgium
ODA, $1.978 billion (2006)
Canada
ODA, $3.9 billion (2007)
Cyprus
$25.9 million (2006)
Denmark
ODA, $2.236 billion (2006)
Finland
ODA, $1.023 billion (2007)
France
ODA, $10.6 billion (2006)
Germany
ODA, $10.44 billion (2006)
Greece
$424 million (2006)
Iceland
$6.7 million (2004)
Ireland
ODA, $1.022 billion (2006)
Italy
ODA, $3.641 billion (2006)
Japan
ODA, $11.19 billion (2006)
Korea, South
ODA, $455.3 million (2006)
Luxembourg
ODA, $291 million (2006)
Netherlands
ODA, $5.452 billion (2006)
New Zealand
ODA, $259 million (2006)
Norway
ODA, $2.954 billion (2006)
Portugal
ODA, $396 million (2006)
Saudi Arabia
since 2002, Saudi Arabia has provided more than $480
million in budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority, supported
Palestinian refugees through contributions to the UN Relief and
Works Agency (UNRWA), provided more than $250 million to Arab League
funds for the Palestinians, and pledged $500 million in assistance
over the next three years at the Donors Conference in Dec 2007;
pledged $230 million to development in Afghanistan; pledged $1
billion in export guarantees and soft loans to Iraq; pledged $133
million in direct grant aid, $187 million in concessional loans, and
$153 million in export credits for Pakistan earthquake relief;
pledged a total of $1.59 billion to Lebanon in assistance and
deposits to the Central Bank of Lebanon in 2006 and pledged an
additional $1.1 billion in early 2007
Spain
ODA, $3.814 billion (2006)
Sweden
ODA, $3.955 billion (2006)
Switzerland
ODA, $1.646 billion (2006)
United Arab Emirates
since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund
for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries
(2004)
United Kingdom
ODA, $12.46 billion (2006)
United States
ODA, $23.53 billion (2006)
This page was last updated on 13 November 2008
======================================================================
@2063 Constitution
Afghanistan
new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January
2004; signed 16 January 2004
Akrotiri
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in
Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal
document
Albania
adopted by popular referendum on 22 November 1998;
promulgated 28 November 1998
Algeria
8 September 1963; revised 19 November 1976, effective 22
November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, 28
November 1996, and 12 November 2008
American Samoa
ratified 2 June 1966, effective 1 July 1967
Andorra
Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991,
approved by referendum 14 March 1993, effective 28 April 1993
Angola
adopted by People's Assembly 25 August 1992
Anguilla
Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990
Antigua and Barbuda
1 November 1981
Argentina
1 May 1853; amended many times starting in 1860
Armenia
adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments
adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005
Aruba
1 January 1986
Australia
9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Austria
1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; note - during the
period 1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative)
constitution in place
Azerbaijan
adopted 12 November 1995
Bahamas, The
10 July 1973
Bahrain
adopted 14 February 2002
Bangladesh
4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended
following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended
many times
Barbados
30 November 1966
Belarus
15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November
1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became
effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing
presidential term limits
Belgium
7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to
create a federal state
Belize
21 September 1981
Benin
adopted by referendum 2 December 1990
Bermuda
8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003
Bhutan
ratified 23 July 2008
Bolivia
2 February 1967; revised in August 1994; possible referendum
on new constitution to be held in 2008
Bosnia and Herzegovina
the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995
in Paris, included a new constitution now in force; note - each of
the entities also has its own constitution
Botswana
March 1965, effective 30 September 1966
Brazil
5 October 1988
British Virgin Islands
13 June 2007
Brunei
29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of
Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1
January 1984)
Bulgaria
adopted 12 July 1991
Burkina Faso
2 June 1991 approved by referendum, 11 June 1991
formally adopted; last amended January 2002
Burma
30 May 2008
Burundi
28 February 2005; ratified by popular referendum
Cambodia
promulgated 21 September 1993
Cameroon
20 May 1972 approved by referendum, adopted 2 June 1972;
revised January 1996
Canada
made up of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial
decisions, and traditions; the written part of the constitution
consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a
federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April
1982, which transferred formal control over the constitution from
Britain to Canada, and added a Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms as well as procedures for constitutional amendments
Cape Verde
25 September 1992; a major revision on 23 November 1995
substantially increased the powers of the president; a 1999 revision
created the position of national ombudsman (Provedor de Justica)
Cayman Islands
1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994
Central African Republic
ratified by popular referendum 5 December
2004; effective 27 December 2004
Chad
passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum
removed constitutional term limits
Chile
11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989,
1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005
China
most recent promulgation 4 December 1982
Christmas Island
Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as
amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23
November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992
Colombia
5 July 1991; amended many times
Comoros
23 December 2001
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
18 February 2006
Congo, Republic of the
approved by referendum 20 January 2002
Cook Islands
4 August 1965
Costa Rica
7 November 1949
Cote d'Ivoire
approved by referendum 23 July 2000
Croatia
adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001
Cuba
24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002
Cyprus
16 August 1960
note: from December 1963, the Turkish Cypriots no longer
participated in the government; negotiations to create the basis for
a new or revised constitution to govern the island and for better
relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held
intermittently since the mid-1960s; in 1975, following the 1974
Turkish intervention, Turkish Cypriots created their own
constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated
State of Cyprus," which became the "Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC)" when the Turkish Cypriots declared their independence
in 1983; a new constitution for the "TRNC" passed by referendum on 5
May 1985, although the "TRNC" remains unrecognized by any country
other than Turkey
Czech Republic
ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993
Denmark
5 June 1953 constitution allowed for a unicameral
legislature and a female chief of state
Dhekelia
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in
Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal
document
Djibouti
multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September
1992
Dominica
3 November 1978
Dominican Republic
28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002
Ecuador
10 August 1998
Egypt
11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980, 25 May 2005, and 26
March 2007
El Salvador
20 December 1983
Equatorial Guinea
approved by national referendum 17 November 1991;
amended January 1995
Eritrea
a transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was
replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet
implemented
Estonia
adopted 28 June 1992
Ethiopia
ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995
European Union
based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris,
which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951;
the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community
(EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957;
the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union
(Maastricht) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the
Treaty of Nice in 2003; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty,
signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for
ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum
before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in
French and Dutch referenda in May-June 2005 dealt a severe setback
to the ratification process; in June 2007, the European Council
agreed on a clear and concise mandate for an Intergovernmental
Conference to form a political agreement and put it into legal form;
this agreement, known as the Reform Treaty, would have served as a
constitution and was presented to the European Council in October
2007 for individual country ratification; it was rejected by Irish
voters in June 2008, again stalling the ratification process
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
3 October 1985; amended 1997 and
1998
Faroe Islands
5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)
Fiji
enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make
multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998
Finland
1 March 2000
France
adopted by referendum 28 September 1958, effective 4 October
1958
note: amended concerning election of president in 1962; amended to
comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1997 Amsterdam
Treaty, 2003 Treaty of Nice; amended to tighten immigration laws in
1993; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to
a five-year term; amended in 2005 to make the EU constitutional
treaty compatible with the Constitution of France and to ensure that
the decision to ratify EU accession treaties would be made by
referendum
French Polynesia
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Gabon
adopted 14 March 1991
Gambia, The
approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; effective
16 January 1997
Georgia
adopted 24 August 1995
Germany
23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the
united Germany 3 October 1990
Ghana
approved 28 April 1992
Gibraltar
5 June 2006; came into force 2 January 2007
Greece
11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001
Greenland
5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)
Grenada
19 December 1973
Guam
Organic Act of Guam, 1 August 1950
Guatemala
31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended
25 May 1993 by former President Jorge SERRANO; reinstated 5 June
1993 following ouster of president; amended November 1993
Guernsey
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Guinea
23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)
Guinea-Bissau
16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26
February 1993, 9 June 1993, and in 1996
Guyana
6 October 1980
Haiti
approved March 1987; suspended June 1988 with most articles
reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a
military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military
government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to
constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution, while technically
in force between 2004-2006, was not enforced; returned to
constitutional rule in May 2006
Holy See (Vatican City)
new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN
PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces
the first Fundamental Law of 1929)
Honduras
11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended many
times
Hong Kong
Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National
People's Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"
Hungary
18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April
1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals
and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and
also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997
amendment streamlined the judicial system
Iceland
16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times
India
26 January 1950; amended many times
Indonesia
August 1945; abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and
Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959; series of
amendments concluded in 2002
Iran
2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the
presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
Iraq
ratified on 15 October 2005 (subject to review by the
Constitutional Review Committee and a possible public referendum )
Ireland
adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937
Isle of Man
unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of
1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution
Israel
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a
constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948),
the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli
citizenship law; note - since May 2003 the Constitution, Law, and
Justice Committee of the Knesset has been working on a draft
constitution
Italy
passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended
many times
Jamaica
6 August 1962
Japan
3 May 1947
Jersey
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Jordan
1 January 1952; amended many times
Kazakhstan
first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January
1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995
Kenya
12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with
amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - a
new draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005
Kiribati
12 July 1979
Korea, North
adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972,
revised again in April 1992, and September 1998
Korea, South
17 July 1948; note - amended or rewritten nine times;
current constitution approved on 29 October 1987
Kosovo
ratified 9 April 2008; effective 15 June 2008
Kuwait
approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
Kyrgyzstan
adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by
President Askar AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2
February 2003 significantly expanded the powers of the president at
the expense of the legislature; during large-scale demonstrations in
November 2006, President BAKIEV and the opposition negotiated a new
constitution granting greater powers to the parliament and the
government; amendments added on 30 December 2006 redistributed some
power back to the president, but both November and December 2006
versions were annulled in September 2007, and a new version was
approved by referendum on 21 October 2007; the BAKIEV-initiated
referendum was criticized by Western observers for voting
irregularities, particularly ballot stuffing
Laos
promulgated 14 August 1991
Latvia
15 February 1922; restored to force by the Constitutional Law
of the Republic of Latvia adopted by the Supreme Council on 21
August 1991; multiple amendments since
Lebanon
23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently
Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of
October 1989
Lesotho
2 April 1993
Liberia
6 January 1986
Libya
none; note - following the September 1969 military overthrow
of the Libyan government, the Revolutionary Command Council replaced
the existing constitution with the Constitutional Proclamation in
December 1969; in March 1977, Libya adopted the Declaration of the
Establishment of the People's Authority
Liechtenstein
5 October 1921
Lithuania
adopted 25 October 1992
Luxembourg
17 October 1868; occasional revisions
Macau
Basic Law, approved on 31 March 1993 by China's National
People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution"
Macedonia
adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991;
amended November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments
strengthening minority rights and in 2005 with amendments related to
the judiciary
Madagascar
19 August 1992 by national referendum
Malawi
18 May 1994
Malaysia
31 August 1957 (amended many times, latest in 2007)
Maldives
new constitution ratified 7 August 2008
Mali
adopted 12 January 1992
Malta
1964 constitution; amended many times
Marshall Islands
1 May 1979
Mauritania
12 July 1991
Mauritius
12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992
Mayotte
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Mexico
5 February 1917
Micronesia, Federated States of
10 May 1979
Moldova
new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August
1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979
Monaco
17 December 1962
Mongolia
12 February 1992
Montenegro
19 October 2007 (approved by the Assembly)
Montserrat
effective 19 December 1989
Morocco
10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create
bicameral legislature) September 1996
Mozambique
30 November 1990
Namibia
ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990
Nauru
29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day)
Nepal
9 November 1990; note - a new interim constitution was
promulgated in January 2007; the November 2006 peace agreement calls
for the election of a Constituent Assembly to draft a new permanent
constitution
Netherlands
adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002
Netherlands Antilles
29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the
Netherlands, as amended
New Caledonia
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
New Zealand
consists of a series of legal documents, including
certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The
Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter;
adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987
Nicaragua
9 January 1987; reforms in 1995, 2000, and 2005
Niger
new constitution adopted 18 July 1999
Nigeria
new constitution adopted 5 May 1999; effective 29 May 1999
Niue
19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act)
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island Act of 1979, as amended in 2005
Northern Mariana Islands
Constitution of the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978; Covenant
Agreement fully effective 4 November 1986
Norway
17 May 1814; amended many times
Oman
none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal
decree promulgating a basic law considered by the government to be a
constitution which, among other things, clarifies the royal
succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from
holding interests in companies doing business with the government,
establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil
liberties for Omani citizens
Pakistan
12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977, restored 30 December
1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in stages in 2002; amended
31 December 2003; suspended 3 November 2007; restored on 15 December
2007
Palau
1 January 1981
Panama
11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983, 1994, and
2004
Papua New Guinea
16 September 1975
Paraguay
promulgated 20 June 1992
Peru
29 December 1993
Philippines
2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987
Pitcairn Islands
30 November 1838; reformed 1904 with additional
reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance
of 1964
Poland
adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by
national referendum 25 May 1997; effective 17 October 1997
Portugal
adopted 2 April 1976; note - subsequent revisions of the
Constitution placed the military under strict civilian control,
trimmed the powers of the president, and laid the groundwork for a
stable, pluralistic liberal democracy; as well, they allowed for the
privatization of nationalized firms and the government-owned
communications media
Puerto Rico
ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July
1952; effective 25 July 1952
Qatar
ratified by public referendum on 29 April 2003, endorsed by
the Amir on 8 June 2004, effective on 9 June 2005
Romania
8 December 1991; revision effective 29 October 2003
Russia
adopted 12 December 1993
Rwanda
new constitution passed by referendum 26 May 2003
Saint Barthelemy
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Saint Helena
1 January 1989
Saint Kitts and Nevis
19 September 1983
Saint Lucia
22 February 1979
Saint Martin
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
27 October 1979
Samoa
1 January 1962
San Marino
8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the
functions of a constitution
Sao Tome and Principe
approved March 1990, effective 10 September
1990
Saudi Arabia
governed according to Islamic law; the Basic Law that
articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was
promulgated by royal decree in 1992
Senegal
adopted 7 January 2001
Serbia
adopted 8 November 2006; effective 10 November 2006
Seychelles
18 June 1993
Sierra Leone
1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Singapore
3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on preindependence State
of Singapore Constitution)
Slovakia
ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993;
changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president;
amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU
membership
Slovenia
adopted 23 December 1991
Solomon Islands
7 July 1978
Somalia
25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979
note: the formation of transitional governing institutions, known as
the Transitional Federal Government, is currently ongoing
South Africa
10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified
by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then
President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 4
February 1997
Spain
approved by legislature 31 October 1978; passed by referendum
6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
Sri Lanka
adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978
Sudan
constitution implemented on 30 June 1998, partially suspended
12 December 1999 by President BASHIR; under the CPA, Interim
National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern
Sudan signed December 2005
Suriname
ratified 30 September 1987; effective 30 October 1987
Swaziland
signed by the King in July 2005 went into effect on 8
February 2006
Sweden
1 January 1975
Switzerland
revision of Constitution of 1874 approved by the Federal
Parliament 18 December 1998, adopted by referendum 18 April 1999,
officially entered into force 1 January 2000
Syria
13 March 1973
Taiwan
25 December 1947; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000,
2005
note: constitution adopted on 25 December 1946; went into effect on
25 December 1947
Tajikistan
6 November 1994
Tanzania
25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984
Thailand
constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON (BHUMIBOL) on 24
August 2007
Timor-Leste
22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model)
Togo
multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the
Republic 1 July 1992, adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992
Tokelau
administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended
in 1970
Tonga
4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967
Trinidad and Tobago
1 August 1976
Tunisia
1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002
Turkey
7 November 1982
Turkmenistan
adopted 18 May 1992
Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order
2006 (effective 9 August 2006)
Tuvalu
1 October 1978