Context
The provinces of North Kivu and Ituri have a long history of international crimes and are still the scene of armed conflict and serious human rights violations. The judicial response provided by both the International Criminal Court and the national justice system is an important foundation in the fight against impunity, but remains too limited given the scale of the crimes committed in the past and in the present. With the fight against impunity evolving at two speeds in the DRC (before and after the advent of the Rome Statute and the ICC), it is necessary to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive process of transitional justice based on a plurality of pillars (justice, truth, reparation, guarantee of non-repetition) for the consolidation of peace and the emergence of the rule of law.
This project is therefore in line with the Congolese government’s latest efforts to put in place a holistic TJ, by putting the victim populations and communities at the centre of the action. Indeed, the risk behind initiatives designed and launched without the active and sufficient involvement of victims and communities is the establishment and implementation of a transitional justice system that is out of touch with the real experience of victims and survivors, and which consequently cannot achieve its transformative individual, societal and structural impact.
To help achieve inclusive transitional justice, the project aims to i) empower victims, survivors and communities by working to increase their knowledge of transitional justice and their ability to communicate their needs and expectations; and ii) ensure their meaningful (and not just procedural) participation in the formal transitional justice mechanisms that have been created or are being developed, as well as their involvement in the design and implementation of informal transitional justice initiatives.
- General objective: To strengthen the fight against impunity and the consolidation of peace in the DRC.
- Specific objective: To contribute to the implementation of an inclusive and comprehensive transitional justice process anchored at community level (influence and participation).
- Expected results:
- R1 : Survivor and victim populations and communities have an increased capacity to influence transitional justice decision-making processes.
- R2 : Access and participation of populations and communities in transitional justice mechanisms are strenghtened.
- R3 : The meaningful inclusion and leadership of survivors and victims in informal transitional justice processes is strenghtened.
- Partners:
- Impunity Watch
- National implementing partners
- Civil society organisations working to promote transitional justice;
- Provincial transitional justice coalitions;
- Associations and coaltions of victimes of the conflits in North Kivu and Ituri.
- Intervention provinces:
- Nord Kivu
- Ituri
- Kinshasa (national coordination and advocacy)
- Funding: Embassy of the Nederlands in the DRC
- Duration: 3 years (1 January 2024 > 31 December 2026)