Geneva II Conference on Syria: accountability and justice for violations must be put on centre stage

 
The opening session of the Geneva II Conference on Syria finished yesterday with statements from the Syrian Government and Syrian Opposition agreeing to enter into a dialogue with each other this coming Friday, 24 January 2014.
 
The key to successful talks that can yield a lasting solution to the Syrian crisis is to ensure accountability and justice for the violations committed over nearly three years of conflict are a prominent requirement in those talks, according to the international NGO No Peace Without Justice. According to NPWJ's International Criminal Justice Director, Alison Smith, "the fact that so many delegations mentioned accountability and the need to ensure respect for international human rights and humanitarian law today was heartening. Of course, these concepts are important parts of the results of Geneva I, but unless they are kept front and center in the political negotiations, they could fall by the wayside when the time comes to agree on the political solution."

This was summed-up well by Belgium Vice-First Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Didier Reynders, who declared “We all owe it to the victims and the least we can do is make sure that those responsible for such atrocities be held accountable. There can be no impunity”. No Peace Without Justice strongly believes that an effective peace process can be carried out only encouraging a concrete dialogue between the parties and ensuring accountability.
 
NPWJ's MENA Democracy Coordinator, Gianluca Eramo, added that the promotion of accountability by the international community today provides the Syrian Opposition with a useful tool to keep accountability on the table. "Accountability has in many ways been in the shadows - 18 months ago, it was in the spotlight, but it has fallen a bit by the wayside. We very much hope the Syrian Opposition will use today's support for accountability and the rule of law as a tool to ensure it is part of the solution. The Syrian Opposition should make a strong, unified and unambiguous statement that accountability is a number one priority to ensure a peaceful and democratic future for Syria. This would make the chances of success much stronger."
 
No Peace Without Justice continues to put its efforts in assisting existing and nascent civil society organisations and networks to contribute most effectively to Syrian transitional justice documentation and policy discussions. These in turn will help shape the future of their country towards institutions that embrace principles of democracy and pluralism, and that offer redress and accountability for human rights violations and promote reconciliation.  The Geneva II Conference will continue on Friday, 24 January, with the Syrian Government and Syrian Opposition entering into dialogue brokered by Joint Special Representative Brahimi.
 
NPWJ’s Syria Project on Justice and Accountability
NPWJ project aims at assisting existing and nascent civil society organisations and networks to contribute most effectively to Syrian transitional justice documentation and policy discussions, which will in turn help shape the future of their country towards institutions that embrace principles of democracy and pluralism, and that offer redress and accountability for human rights violations and promote reconciliation. It does so in part through information sharing and training, and in part through capacity building among Syrian civil society actors to receive and coordinate external assistance, especially on transitional justice and accountability issues.
The long-term goal of this project is to promote democracy and human rights protection through incorporating transitional justice and accountability in decision-making on conflict resolution and stability, development, and reconstruction planning in Syria.
 
 
For further information, contact Hadi Al-Khatib on hadi@npwj.org or Nicola Giovannini on ngiovannini@npwj.org or +32-2-548-3915.