Canva>
Our new Working Paper by Professor Olivier de Frouville Towards Global Transitional Justice? discusses the need for – and existing premises – a Global Transitional Justice Process.
Based on his keynote speech at the Geneva Academy 2021 Graduation Ceremony, it introduces this novel concept, its existence in international law albeit in a fragmented landscape, its scope and its means of implementation via legal tools and political processes.
‘We generally think of transitional justice at the national level. However, if humanity can prosecute crimes against humanity through international tribunals, there must also be a concept of global transitional justice, so as to establish the foundations for a better and fairer global society’ explains Professor de Frouville.
Geneva Academy
Arthur Nguyen dao
Palapa, Wikimedia Commons>
The paper highlights the emergence of this concept in relation to past genocides, slavery and slave trade, colonialism, gender inequality and violence against women, issues that are high on the international agenda.
‘It is clear though that there is still much selectivity in the way the UN is looking at the past, and this creates some tensions. A more balanced and exhaustive look is therefore needed. To that end, a global transitional justice process would not only mean an ‘international’ or ‘world’ transitional justice process but also a process that would look at all the wrongs, in all regions of the world, rather than being selective in its approach’ says Professor de Frouville.
In his paper, Professor de Frouville also argues that a global transitional justice process should equally aim at bringing accountability and reparation for the crimes humanity perpetrated against the biosphere and the other living, reconciling Humanity with so-called ‘Nature’ so that humans can think of themselves as part of ‘nature’.
Arthur Nguyen dao
Canva>
Frouville highlights in his paper the need for scientific knowledge to establish the truth about what happened, how it happened, and what the responsibilities are.
As in truth processes at the domestic level, he also stresses the need for simple people – especially victims or their families – and civil society to participate actively in the process of truth-seeking. The interests of the biosphere and of the non-human living on earth should also be represented in the discussion and have their say
‘The difference here is that we would need a more global effort. This would include, on the one hand, scientists coming from all parts of the world to interact with the aim of establishing accepted historical facts. On the other hand, members from civil society, victims' associations and organizations advocating in favour of the biosphere and the other living on earth would participate in a global debate about past injustices, based on historical facts’ explains De Frouville.
‘Based on this, states would elaborate programmes of action at the global level in order to implement guarantees of non-repetition that would include for instance mutually agreed acknowledgement of historical facts and, why not, a global history textbook, including the history of human groups and their interactions as well as a history of humanity in its relation to ‘Nature’’ he adds.
Geneva Academy
While applications with a scholarship for our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and MAS in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law just closed, interested candidates can still apply until 25 February without a scholarship.
Jean-Pictet Competition
Stephen Hare won the Gilbert-Apollis Prize at the 36th Edition of the Jean-Pictet Competition that took place in early December in Albania.
the blowup, Unsplash
The Geneva Human Rights Platform team will be travelling to New York to host a side event on ‘Implementing the Treaty Body Review 2020 – where do we stand’.
Markus Spiske, Unsplash
This online bilingual workshop, held in English and Italian, aims to raise awareness about the upcoming changes to the European Union (EU) seed marketing legislation and what this reform means in the Italian context.
UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré
This training course will explore the origin and evolution of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and its functioning in Geneva and will focus on the nature of implementation of the UPR recommendations at the national level.
Dustan Woodhouse, Unplash
This training course will explore the major international and regional instruments for the promotion of human rights, as well as with their implementation and enforcement mechanisms; and provide practical insights into the different UN human rights mechanisms pertinent to advancing environmental issues and protecting environmental human rights defenders.
Olivier Chamard / Geneva Academy
The Treaty Body Members’ Platform connects experts in UN treaty bodies with each other as well as with Geneva-based practitioners, academics and diplomats to share expertise, exchange views on topical questions and develop synergies.
Adam Cohn
This research project, aimed via the drafting of a practitioners’ guide on human rights and countering corruption, to clarify the conceptual relationship between human rights, good governance and anticorruption, demonstrate the negative impact of corruption on human rights and provide guidance and make practical recommendations for effectively using the UN human rights system in anti-corruption efforts.