Press Release
The Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) on behalf of the ITJA consortium is pleased to announce the approval of €300,000 in sub-grants as part of the Initiative for Transitional Justice – a three-year joint initiative of the African Union and the European Union, funded by the European Union. This funding will support six (6) civil society organizations across Africa, aiming to advance transitional justice and incorporate the transformative values of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP) into transitional justice interventions on the continent.
This support is a significant step towards empowering victims, women groups, youth networks, and communities affected by conflict to achieve accountability, justice, redress, reconciliation, and sustainable peace while utilizing new technology to enhance inclusive and transparent transitional justice processes. The six selected organizations will implement innovative transitional justice initiatives guided by the principles and provisions of the AUTJP in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, The Gambia, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe.
Launched in October 2023, the Initiative for Transitional Justice in Africa (ITJA) focuses on wholistically strengthening transitional justice through an African lens on the continent. The project is implemented by ATJLF in a consortium with the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR). ATJLF leads the grant-making component, providing technical and financial support to civil society organizations and local groups to champion transitional justice interventions informed by the AUTJP.
In this cycle of funding, the interventions approved focus on:
- Increasing awareness and popularization of the AUTJP in affected communities: The Advocacy Centre for Democracy and Development will promote the African Union Transitional Justice Policy, its values, and potential for the transitional justice process in Ethiopia.
Similarly, the Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organizations (LCN) and the Strategic Institute for Research and Dialogue (SIRD), forming a consortium, will also work on Popularizing the AUTJP among key stakeholders in Lesotho through multistakeholder consultations and dialogues and developing a comprehensive and accessible database of victims of political violence in Lesotho. - Strengthening citizen agency and participation: This is a common theme across all six funded projects. Through their project, Africa Reconciled will promote meaningful participation of victims in transitional justice processes and accountability in the DRC.
- Empowering and Centering Marginalized groups: This is a cross-cutting theme for the six projects. For example, Observatoire Centrafricain de Justice Transitionnelle’s project focuses on positioning women and youth as key transitional justice actors in the Central African Republic.
- Promoting accountability through African transitional justice mechanisms: In the Gambia, Beakanyang is using Badinbung, a traditional justice mechanism to promote accountability and reconciliation.
- Leveraging Technology: In Zimbabwe, Tech Village will employ artificial intelligence for digital archiving and documentation of the Gukurahundi genocide in Zimbabwe.
For a full list of the grantee projects supported in this grant cycle, click on this link.
This is the first installment of a €600,000 grant total set aside to strengthen citizen and civil society engagement with transitional justice processes in Africa. The next grant cycle will open for applications in September 2024.
The ATJLF is excited to support these vital initiatives through the Initiative for Transitional Justice in Africa and looks forward to seeing the positive impacts they will have on communities across Africa.
For further information, please contact:
Name: Pelumi Obisesan
Title: Team Lead, Programs and Communications, Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF)
Email: pobisesan@atjlf.org
