Resource Library

When armed conflict or atrocities have torn a society apart, it can be difficult for people to regain trust in the government and reconcile with those they see as their enemies or abusers. While the idea of reconciliation has been closely linked to transitional justice, misunderstandings of the term have sometimes led to superficial, even harmful approaches to addressing the past. A new paper from the International Center for Transitional Justice looks at different understandings of reconciliation and its place in transitional justice.

A new report from the International Center for Transitional Justice and the Martin Chautari Institute highlights the continued need for truth about the human rights abuses committed during the country’s 10-year civil war. The report is aimed at helping those working on truth seeking in Nepal to better understand the gaps that currently exist between victims’ needs and rights, public policy and the current transitional justice process.

A new book by ICTJ titled Justice Mosaics: How Context Shapes Transitional Justice in Fractured Societies examines the challenges of responding to massive human rights violations in different and difficult circumstances in today's world.

A new briefing paper from the International Center for Transitional Justice provides guidance for national courts issuing decisions on redress of human rights violations involving sexual violence. It encourages judges, advocates and prosecutors to consider the full range of possible forms of redress when ordering reparations for victims, to make use of relevant national and international decisions in interpreting domestic laws, and to pay particular attention to how sexual violence may affect different victims.

ICTJ has named the globally recognized jurist and human rights expert Juan E. Méndez as its delegate to the Colombian Selection Committee created by the 2016 peace agreement signed between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

ICTJ has formally accepted the invitation to participate in Colombia’s Selection Committee, reflecting its commitment to work for peace and victims’ rights in that country. It has not yet selected its delegate, contrary to prior reports.

A groundbreaking new book from the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and UNICEF examines the complicated relationship between education, justice and peacebuilding in societies grappling with a legacy of violent conflict. It offers lessons on how education can be harnessed in a divided society to overcome the past and create the conditions for peace, often under very difficult circumstances.

ICTJ welcomes the announcement the government of Colombia and the FARC-EP have agreed on a series of modifications to the peace accords, after the original version was narrowly rejected in the October plebiscite vote.

ICTJ welcomes the historic peace agreement signed today between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) – an essential step toward building lasting peace in the country.

The agreement represents "an historic opportunity for Colombian society to build a peaceful future on foundations of respect for human rights and the rule of law,” said David Tolbert, president of ICTJ. “We have for years worked in support of victims’ rights in Colombia and will continue to do so with renewed energy and hope.”