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The United Nations has proclaimed December 10 as International Human Rights Day. The date commemorates the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which represented the reaction of the international community to the horrors of the Second World War. Today is a day for reflection more than celebration. A cursory scan of events from the last few weeks has thrown up examples that demonstrate that the belief in human rights for all - in treating all states the same - is more of a tissue-thin membrane than a robust bulwark.

ICTJ President David Tolbert looks back on transitional justice developments over the span of 2012, talks about the impact of ICTJ's work, and looks ahead to transitional justice developments to come. [Download](/sites/default/files/Tolbert_ICTJ_Podcast_12202012.mp3) | Duration: 30:19mins | File size: 17,760 KB

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) signed a cooperation agreement with the Tunisian government on January 16 to provide further technical assistance in establishing transitional justice mechanisms in the country. The development comes two years after protests forced President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step down and flee the country in January 2011.

Recent proposals on using transitional justice as a means of stabilizing Syria in the aftermath of the eventual fall of the Assad regime— including by providing incentives for loyalists to give up a possible ‘fight to the death’ in Damascus — are a significant development in the debate on Syria. As Syrian groups and international actors gathered as “Friends of Syria” consider these proposals, it is of paramount importance to be clear about what is meant by transitional justice.

Though the future of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime remains to be seen, some are already planning for the complex aftermath of the regime’s demise. On January 26-27, Syrian activists joined ICTJ and other international experts in Istanbul for two days of discussion on possibilities for transitional justice in Syria.

In this edition of ICTJ's Program report, Kelli Muddell, director of ICTJ's Gender Justice program, reflects on ICTJ’s vision of gender justice, the challenges facing survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in times of transition, and how ICTJ is working to address inequality in countries like Colombia, Nepal, and Tunisia.

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) released a new report today providing detailed information and analysis on how Iraq dismantled Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party and purged state institutions of party members. The report, titled “A Bitter Legacy: Lessons of De-Baathification in Iraq,” carries valuable lessons for countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as they consider how to deal with legacies of abuse by the security and political apparatuses of former regimes.

From its inception in 2003, the process of de-Baathification – the purge of Iraq’s state institutions of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party members in the aftermath of the US-led invasion - polarized Iraqi politics and led to the collapse of many state functions. Today, Iraq continues to be haunted by its legacy. An examination of Iraq’s flawed vetting experience is presented in a major new ICTJ report, titled "A Bitter Legacy: Lessons of De-Baathification in Iraq."

The latest episode of the ICTJ forum features analysis of significant transitional justice news, including breaking developments in Kenya, Tunisia, and Syria. ICTJ Vice President Paul Seils and Truth and Memory program Director Eduardo Gonzalez join Communications Director Refik Hodzic for this expert discussion. [Download](/sites/default/files//ICTJ-Forum-March-2013.mp3) | Duration: 31:42mins | File size: 22,290 KB