70 results

Using Narrative in Societies Dealing with Massive Human Rights Violations

Civil society actors involved in transitional justice processes use narrative communication in strategic and agile ways. This work is vitally important, and yet it does not receive the attention and support it should.

11/10/26

by Briony Jones and Aoiffe Corcoran

Two women stand back to back outdoors on a green lawn. A red balloon is held in place by their backs.
In Focus

Building Bridges for a More Just Future: ICTJ at 25

Long before ICTJ existed, societies everywhere wrestled with the justice-related dilemmas caused by violent conflict, and victims, communities, and courageous leaders found answers of their own. What was missing was a place where people who took part in those different experiences could meet, share knowledge and lessons, and build a community to respond together to the evolving challenges to justice and peace. In 2001, ICTJ was created to be that place and to catalyze a collective effort to address massive human rights violations and build a peaceful, inclusive, and just future.

11/04/26

by

Fernando Travesí-Sanz

Hands belonging to people seated around the table build a model bridge using small rectangular blocks of wood
Opinion

From Searching Alone to a National Institution for the Missing in Syria

On August 30, the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, I sat beside the president of Syria’s National Commission for Missing Persons at its headquarters in Damascus for a historic moment: the launch of a platform through which families will be able to report their missing loved ones. For Syrian families, August 30 has long been a day to remember those they lost to the unknown and renew their demand for truth. This year, marking it inside a Syrian institution created to search for them had a very different significance.

09/02/26

by

Nousha Kabawat

Articles of clothing hang inside a display case
Opinion

‘Stories We Bring to Life’: How Civil Society Uses Narrative in Transitional Justice Contexts

This research report examines how civil society actors involved in transitional justice processes narrate and communicate their role, impact, and value. The study focuses on actors in Colombia, The Gambia, and Kenya, describing the content, form, and audiences of their communication w...

by

Briony Jones and Aoiffe Corcoran

A person holds up a poater collage made up of pink paper with text in Spanish
Report

ICTJ and Partners Support Syria’s Justice Institutions as They Turn Mandates into Action

ICTJ recently convened Syrian civil society partners, members of Syria’s newly established transitional justice commissions, and government representatives to support the country’s nascent transitional justice process.

07/23/26
Approximately 25 people are seated around several long tables configured in a large rectangle in a big room.
In Focus

Complying with JEP Rulings Is an Obligation of the Colombian State, Not the Current Government

In an interview first published in "El Espectador," ICTJ’s María Camila Moreno discusses the first rulings of Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace, the state’s obligations to implement them, and why restorative justice is vital to lasting peace.

07/23/26

by Gustavo Montes Arias

Magistrates of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace and members of the last Secretariat of the FARC guerrilla listen to a victim's intervention as part of the first Acknowledgment Hearing of Macrocase 01
In Focus

Lebanon’s Accountability Crisis

For many people in Lebanon, being uprooted from home is no longer an exceptional event. In this Expert’s Choice, ICTJ's Firas BouZeineddine draws a connection between the dire situation many Lebanese are facing and the culture of impunity that prevails in the country. In particular, he calls on domestic and external actors to be held accountable for past and present violations.

06/02/26

by

Firas BouZeineddine

Displaced Lebanese families shelter in tents along Beirut’s waterfront following the latest Israel–Lebanon war, in Beirut, Lebanon, in March 2026.
Opinion

Facilitators in Training Prepare to Lead Community Dialogues Across Syria

Fourteen members of Syrian civil society recently gathered for a five-day workshop on community facilitation and transitional justice organized by ICTJ and its partners in the Bridges of Truth project. The workshop marked a major step in the preparation for extensive community dialogues that will take place across Syria in the months ahead.

04/21/26
A women stands in front of photographs hanging on a wall
In Focus

From Combat to Territorial Control: Recommendations for a Security Policy Adapted to Contemporary Violence in Colombia

Colombia currently faces a transformed, fragmented form of violence centered on territorial and social control rather than the traditional insurgency. This briefing paper argues that state security strategies remain misaligned, relying on outdated military approaches and metrics. To a...

Image of first page of the briefing paper "From Combat to Territorial Control"
Briefing Paper

From Combat to Territorial Control: Adapting Security Policy to Contemporary Violence in Colombia

Colombia currently faces a transformed, fragmented form of violence centered on territorial and social control rather than the traditional insurgency. This report argues that state security strategies remain misaligned, relying on outdated military approaches and metrics. To avoid lon...

by

Naryi Vargas Cáceres

An aerial view of a group of soldiers interacting with a large civilian crowd in a rural setting
Report