Good practices in transitional justice

One of the examples mentioned in the report is the Asociación Madres de Abril (Mothers of April Association), which has unified families of victims of repression in Nicaragua | PICTURE © Jorge Mejía Peralta / Flickr

A new UN report collects good practices and lessons learned for transitional justice, many from victims’ associations and grass-roots organisations.

A recent report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) highlights a wealth of good practices in transitional justice. Drawing from regional consultations in which several Hub partners participated, the report demonstrates through concrete examples how bottom-up initiatives that are victim-centred, inclusive, and gender-responsive address immediate justice needs and advance transformative justice in the long term.

The report details the courage and creativity displayed by victims’ associations and grassroots organisations—many led by women—particularly in challenging contexts. As the report argues, these groups can “harness the transformative potential” of transitional justice, and lay the ground for future transitional justice processes, including by documenting serious human rights violations, building strategic alliances, engaging international and regional human rights mechanisms, and ensuring that memory initiatives are inclusive and representative.

Expanding good practices

Other best practices mentioned in the report focus on finding ways to build political will, address accountability, broaden the toolbox for reparations, make space for victims’ voices, strengthen institutional responses, and prevent politicisation, negationism and revisionism. By recognising and reinforcing these practices, states and international actors can utilise transitional justice as a tool for both peacebuilding and sustainable development. To maximise impact, the report calls for expanding successful initiatives, adopting similar measures elsewhere, and providing sustained support.