Justice & Peacemaking : Justice in peace processes

Significant research and debate is devoted to various elements of justice in peace processes. This provides an invaluable source of information for peace process actors, but often fails to address precisely how and why they should consider and approach justice issues during peace negotiations.

What activities is the HD Centre undertaking to address this issue?

In an effort to clarify the place and space for justice in peace processes on an empirical basis, the HD Centre published (September 2007) an analysis of how a set of these issues were included in peace agreements since 1980. The report demonstrates trends in how specific issues such as amnesties, prisoner release or truth and reconciliation commissions have been included in peace agreements, and shows how certain issues seem to cluster together in agreements. The report also notes which of the agreements held.

To complement the trends identified in the first report, comprehensive case studies have also been conducted on the Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burundi and Aceh (Indonesia) peace processes. The reports focus on why specific and decisive justice components of the respective peace agreements were included, whether any were excluded, and also sheds light on how the mediators handled the respective issues during the negotiations. Most importantly, the reports also address the fundamental issue of what could have been done differently. The research phase will be completed by a synthesis report, also drawing on thematic research, such as on amnesties and truth commissions.