Reconciliation

The reconciliation of societies divided and traumatized by war and violence is an indispensable element of long-term peace and stability. Unresolved hostility between population groups resulting from past atrocities hamper reconstruction, economic rehabilitation, reintegration of refugees and ex-combatants.
There is a great number of methods and instruments helping to achieve reconciliation. The criminal prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity can be carried out by national courts, special courts operating under an international mandate such as in Sierra Leone, or by international tribunals, such as the ICTR (International Tribunal for Rwanda), and the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia). The recently established International Criminal Court (ICC) will also be increasingly engaged in this area.

Furthermore, truth and reconciliation commissions as well as alternative forms of mediation, reconciliation and jurisdiction play an important role, such as the decentralized Gacaca tribunals in Rwanda, which combine traditional conflict resolution with criminal prosecution.

Civil society initiatives also significantly support reconciliation processes. They provide advice and support to survivors, promote dialogue between offenders and victims, implement reconciliation projects on the communal level, and monitor trials in order to ensure fair proceedings.

Possible Tasks and Functions

• Supporting international courts and tribunals
• Advising and supporting the local judicial system (e.g. with regard to questions of amnesty, reparation, and lustration)
• Supporting truth and reconciliation commissions
• Strengthening civil society reconciliation initiatives

updated September 2009