1. Unlike the North – a term in vogue today, among other things, to emphasize the difference between the rich, industrialized nations of Western Europe, North America, Australasia and the rudimentary economies of Latin America, Asia and Africa – underdevelopment, characterized by low income levels, poverty, low standards of living and other socio-economic problems appear to be defining characteristics of the countries in these regions, collectively described as the global South. Thomas (2003), Hershberg and Moreno-Brid (2003) and Solimano (2005) suggest, for example, that the socio-economic structure of most Latin American countries remains defined by vast inequalities in the distribution of income and wealth, poverty, growth, a high mortality rate and a high level of economic vulnerability. In Asia, a number of countries, including major economies India and China, have made progress in the 21st century in reducing poverty. Yet 22% of developing countries in Asia live on one dollar a day. The situation is bleaker in the South and Southeast Asia region, where 38% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day and more than 48% of the population lives below the poverty line of each country in the region. Similarly, absolute poverty is on the rise in Africa – generally recognized as the richest continent in the world in terms of natural resources – despite a recorded decline in global poverty rates (Bhattacharyya: 2005).2. In this bleak landscape, it is not surprising that achieving sustainable development continues to be a key priority in policy-making processes in these cases to this day. In Africa, as elsewhere in the Global South for example, the economic drivers of development have shaped the processes of constitutional reform as policy makers...... middle of document ......n of the nations of the Southeast Asia (ASEAN), adopted the ASEAN Charter (2007) in which they affirmed their adherence to the principles of constitutional government and expressly stipulated the strengthening of "democracy". . . good governance, rule of law and . . . human rights” as one of its main objectives. In the context of Latin America, the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted the Inter-American Charter in 2001 in which member states recognize that democracy and development are mutually reinforcing and, as such, affirm their commitment to establish a democratic and constitutional order to consolidate this relationship. The importance of this objective is underlined by their collective agreement providing for sanctions as extreme as suspension of the organization when the constitutional and democratic order is overthrown by unconstitutional means. .