The proposed amendment to Article 1 of the Constitution would introduce a reference to a set of “highest values”. These include “pursuit of happiness”, “love for the motherland”, “honour and dignity”, “unity of the people of the Kyrgyz Republic”, “peace and accord in the country”, “preservation and development of language and national culture”, “careful attitude to history”, “morality”, “family, childhood, fatherhood, motherhood”, “combination of traditions and progress”. It is common for constitutions, either in their preambles or in the texts, to contain references to fundamental principles and values for the state concerned and its population, which generally also have a unifying function. However, the Venice Commission has considered that “a Constitution should avoid defining or establishing once and for all values of which there are different justifiable conceptions in society. Such values, as well as their legislative implications, should be left to ethical debates within society and ordinary democratic procedures, respecting at the same time the country’s human rights and other international commitments.”