ATJLF Holds Its First Webinar

The Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) will hold its first webinar to discuss the effects of COVID-19 on transitional justice interventions in West Africa. The webinar will take place on Monday 27^th July, 2020 starting at 2pm Accra time.

TOPIC: EXAMINING THE CHALLENGES OF TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE INTERVENTIONS IN WEST AFRICA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

OVERVIEW:

A seven person panel will discuss a range of issues about the challenges being faced by small community based organisations and groups, especially those working on transitional justice issues in the region. They will also discuss key questions such as how are small CBOs and survivor groups coping with the disruptions caused by covid? What level of support do transitional justice organisations need to continue their interventions at the community and national levels? How do countries at varying levels of transitional justice efforts been able to ensure that ongoing processes don’t get completely abandoned? What should grant-makers do to ensure that NGOs, CBOs and survivor groups working on transitional justice, do not have to start from scratch in a post-covid West Africa and indeed Africa.

The objectives of this webinar are:

• To hear from practitioners, policy-makers and frontline TJ experts about the experiences and challenges of implementing TJ programmes in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic in West Africa
• To explore what measures or programmes are being utilised by Regional Economic Committees (RECs), governments, CSOs and survivor groups to consolidate gains on transitional justice and prevent a slide into crisis and mass atrocities post-COVID-19.
• To examine how continental frameworks such as the Africa Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP) offer opportunities for innovation and sustainable transitional justice interventions in a post-covid continent.
• To proffer ideas and solutions for rethinking transitional justice interventions at the community level during pandemics or mass scale disruptions.

The panelists below have been drawn from the AU, ECOWAS, UN, regional and national organisations as well as survivor groups in West Africa. The discussions will be moderated by the ATJLF.

1. Idayat Hassan, Director of Centre for Democracy and Development-West Africa (CDD-West Africa), Nigeria.
2. John Ikubaje, Senior Human Rights and Transitional Justice Officer, AUDPA, Ethiopia.
3. Eyesan Emmanuel Okorodudu, Head of Democracy and Good Governance Division at ECOWAS Commission
4. Ida Persson, Transitional Justice and Human Rights Specialist, UNDP Country Office, The Gambia
5. John Caulker, Executive Director of Fambul Tok International, Sierra Leone.
6. Asmaou Diallo Executive Director of AVIPA, Guinea.
7. Caroline Bowah from Medica Liberia.