Mission and History

Our Mission

The International Center for Transitional Justice works to redress and prevent the most severe violations of human rights by confronting legacies of mass abuse. ICTJ seeks holistic solutions to promote accountability and create just and peaceful societies.

To fulfill that mission, ICTJ links experience from its many field programs with its research in transitional justice. This allows ICTJ to develop, test and refine field practices and remain a research leader. ICTJ uses this knowledge to inform and advise governments, civil society and other stakeholders working on behalf of victims. It seeks to persuade those stakeholders, the media and the general public of the need for justice and accountability.

ICTJ places a high priority on building capacity, and to do so the organization works to connect individuals, groups and disciplines. ICTJ believes successful capacity building creates a multiplier effect; effective justice policies require the strong partners, strong leaders and the strong technical skills that ICTJ promotes.

ICTJ works in societies emerging from repressive rule or armed conflict, as well in other societies where legacies of abuse remain unresolved.

 

Our History

What became known as transitional justice emerged in the 1980s and 1990s mainly in response to political changes in Latin America and Eastern Europe -- and to demands in these regions for justice. At the time, human rights activists and others wanted to address the systematic abuses by former regimes but without endangering the political transformations that were underway.

In some senses, ICTJ's relationship to the field is genetic: transitional justice and ICTJ came into being at nearly the same time, and the Center also took deliberate steps to define and develop the field.

ICTJ was first conceived at a strategy meeting hosted by the Ford Foundation in April 2000. More than two dozen participants, including legal scholars, human rights advocates, and practitioners, gathered to discuss ways of contributing to transitional justice.

The participants expressed broad support for the establishment of a new organization. The Foundation subsequently asked three consultants -- Alex Boraine, Priscilla Hayner and Paul van Zyl -- to develop a plan for such an organization. Their initial five-year proposal received funding support from the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Andrus Family Fund.

ICTJ officially opened its doors in New York City on March 1, 2001, and it has rapidly grown. Its work now extends to more than 20 countries, and well over half of ICTJ's staff is based outside the New York headquarters, in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.