About the GIJTR

Around the world, there is an increasing call for justice, truth and reconciliation in countries where legacies of grave human rights violations cast a shadow on transitions. To meet this need, the International Coalition of Sites  of Conscience (ICSC) launched the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation (GIJTR) in August 2014. The goal of GIJTR is to address new challenges in countries in conflict or transition that are struggling with their legacies of past or ongoing grave human rights violations.

The GIJTR Consortium (“the Consortium”) comprises the following nine partner organizations:

• International Coalition of Sites of Conscience in the United States (lead partner);
• American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), in the United States;
• Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR), in Indonesia;
• Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), in South Africa;
• Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), in Cambodia;
• Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), in the United States;
• Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala (Fundación de Antropología Forense de Guatemala – FAFG), in Guatemala;
• Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), in Serbia; and
• Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), in the United States

In addition to leveraging the different areas of expertise of the Consortium partners, the ICSC draws on the knowledge and longstanding community connections of its 275-plus members in 65 countries to strengthen and broaden the Consortium’s work.

The Consortium partners and the ICSC’s network members develop and implement a range of rapid response and high-impact programs, using restorative and retributive approaches to criminal justice and accountability for grave human rights violations. The Consortium takes an interdisciplinary approach to justice, truth, and accountability. On the whole, the Consortium partners possess expertise in the following areas:

• Truth-telling, memorialization, and other forms of historical memory and reconciliation;
• Documenting human rights violations for transitional justice purposes;
• Forensic analysis and other efforts related to missing or disappeared persons;
• Advocating for victims, including their right to access justice, psychosocial support and trauma mitigation activities;
• Providing technical assistance to and building the capacity of civil society activists and organizations to promote and engage with transitional justice processes;
• Reparative justice initiatives; and
• Ensuring and integrating gender justice into these and all other transitional justice processes.

Given the diversity of experiences, knowledge, and skills within the Consortium and the ICSC’s network members, the Consortium’s programming offers post-conflict countries and countries emerging from repressive regimes a unique opportunity to address transitional justice needs in a timely manner while simultaneously promoting local participation and building the capacity of community partners.