Policymakers Program

The International Policymakers Program (IPP) focuses on high-level decision makers in recognition of the important role of elite actors play in forming opinion, generating interest in the field, and pursuing concrete policies at the international level. IPP aims to 1) build relationships and capacity related to transitional justice, 2) augment the recognition of TJ as a crucial feature of post-conflict peacemaking and peacebuilding, and 3) contribute to the development of international norms for accountability and justice.

There are at least four goals in this endeavor:

1. To help influential international actors understand transitional justice and make decisions based on a cross-regional, holistic, and critical analysis of ‘best practices,' and to help them see the relationships between different approaches to dealing with the past, and adopt nuanced, balanced policies.

2. To enhance the overall field of transitional justice, recognizing that key international-level actors, whether institutions or individuals, can make contributions to the field and can play important leadership roles therein.

3. To spark interest in the creation of new institutions or centers of excellence and new sources of funding for the overall field, as international actors develop and adopt more sophisticated approaches to transitional justice.

4. To integrate gender awareness in all these activities by working closely with the ICTJ's gender unit, and regional gender specialists located in South America, Africa, and Asia.

In addition to regular day-to-day communication and technical assistance, IPP organizes its interventions around a number of targeted audiences through the vehicle of several types of events:

Multilateral and Regional Engagements

ICTJ works with regional and international institutions to offer briefings, seminars, and intensive, high-level retreats or conferences. It also provides strategic guidance, generally on request, the establishment of guidelines, principles, and other foundational documents. For example, the ICTJ has addressed the Security Council on transitional justice issues six times since 2004, Half were formal sessions, and half were less formal, closed-door Arria Formula meetings. These addresses were among the few occasions that an NGO has been invited to speak in formal session to the full Council.

National Seminars

The program works in conjunction with interested governments to organize bilateral meetings between Senior ICTJ staff and relevant government personnel, usually from ministries of foreign affairs and development bodies, to discuss transitional justice generally, to offer advice on how it can be incorporated into various national governments' policy priorities, and to provide input on specific policy developments. For example, ICTJ, with the support of the UK Department for International Development (DFID), held a conference in London on October 15-16, 2007. The event brought together over 50 participants - representatives of donor countries, organizations and civil society - to discuss donor aid to transitional justice processes, partnership with national actors, and ways in which to contribute to effective transitional justice initiatives.

Thematic Activities

In addition to its work with national governments, regional bodies, and multilateral institutions, IPP engages a broad spectrum of policymakers or "policy influencers" in the academic and non-governmental organization (NGO) communities. The goal of these events is often to bridge the divide between NGO and governmental or multilateral discussions on transitional justice topics and brainstorm creatively about solutions to transitional justice challenges.