Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding

Abstract

Societies transitioning away from conflict or repression will often initiate processes of transitional justice for holding perpetrators of violence to account and providing redress for victims. The core transitional justice mechanisms include criminal trials, truth commissions, and reparations, which have been applied mainly in Global South settings and under the broad mission of addressing violent pasts and laying the foundations for future peace and stability. Post-conflict peacebuilding on the other hand refers to work designed to prevent the recurrence of violence, addressing the underlying causes of conflict and helping people resolve their differences peacefully. In practice, it includes work around conflict transformation, rule of law promotion, and economic development, and involves a wide range of activities such as DDR, institution building, and community dialogue. It is distinct from transitional justice as a field of practice and scholarship, although transitional justice is often described as a component of peacebuilding. Like transitional justice, it is concerned to support the development of more peaceful societies.