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Civil society actors involved in transitional justice processes use narrative communication in strategic and agile ways. This work is vitally important, and yet it does not receive the attention and support it should.

Long before ICTJ existed, societies everywhere wrestled with the justice-related dilemmas caused by violent conflict, and victims, communities, and courageous leaders found answers of their own. What was missing was a place where people who took part in those different experiences could meet, share knowledge and lessons, and build a community to respond together to the evolving challenges to justice and peace. In 2001, ICTJ was created to be that place and to catalyze a collective effort to address massive human rights violations and build a peaceful, inclusive, and just future.

Over 100 representatives of civil society organizations, victims’ associations, government institutions, and diplomatic missions recently gathered in Addis Ababa to discuss what an inclusive transitional justice process in Ethiopia should look like. Participants explored best practices, local approaches, as well as persistent challenges to ensuring that those most affected by injustice play a central role in any process designed to address it.

In Chad, the 2022 Doha Peace Agreement and the subsequent national discussions on reconciliation have created a rare opportunity for Chadians to confront the legacies of past human rights violations. Over the past several months, ICTJ has been assessing whether this opening could provide a viable entry point for transitional justice in the country.

As Sudan’s devastating conflict enters its fourth year, the priorities of victims and Sudanese civilians must be central to efforts to end the violence and build sustainable peace. Against this backdrop, ICTJ and the Government of the Netherlands convened a policy roundtable in The Hague on advancing victim-centered justice for durable peace in Sudan.

As the world marks the third anniversary of the brutal war in Sudan, it is a moment to reflect on a conflict that rarely receives the media attention it deserves and to consider the millions of Sudanese caught in cycles of violence.

Recent Israeli strikes in Beirut and other populated areas in Lebanon, among the conflict's most intense so far, have destroyed critical infrastructure and devastated civilian communities. ICTJ stands unequivocally with the Lebanese people and all victims across the region and calls for an immediate end to all attacks on and threats to civilian communities and infrastructure.

ICTJ recently convened human rights defenders, journalists, and lawyers from Libya, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen for a workshop on digital, open-source investigations. Held on November 3-8 in Kampala, Uganda, the course trained participants on open-source tools with a view to strengthening their work investigating, documenting, and monitoring human rights violations.

South Sudanese refugees and displaced persons currently comprise 40 percent of the country’s total population. Yet, these groups have been largely excluded from ongoing policy discussions related to South Sudan's transitional justice process in South Sudan. A new ICTJ report aims to amplify the perspectives and expectations of these groups and ensure they are included in the process's design and implementation.