Successful conclusion of the Conference on “Transitional Justice in Tunisia: for a Participatory and Consultative Process”

 
 
On 7-9 March 2012, a Conference on “Transitional Justice: for a Participatory and Consultative Process”, organised by the United Nations Development Programme, the International Center for Transitional Justice, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Al Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center (KADEM), in partnership with No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), was held in Tunis, Tunisia.
 
The Tunisian Minister of Transitional Justice and Human Rights, H.E. Samir Dilou, opened the Conference, announcing that in April he will launch a national dialogue to consult with Tunisian people about their views and expectations on transitional justice. He was followed by Mohsen Marzouk, President of KADEM, who called for a national consultation involving all stakeholders and regions of the country, including marginalised areas. He also insisted on starting the process by identifying the objectives of transitional justice to be able to choose the various mechanisms and measures that best can achieve them.
 
During the Conference, special attention was dedicated to the role of victims in transitional justice and victims and representatives of victims from Tunisia also had the opportunity to tell their stories and express their expectations towards transitional justice. Speaking during one of the sessions, Greta Barbone (NPWJ/KADEM) focused on the importance of consulting victims to build their views into the fabric of transitional justice and, based on previous consultations with groups of victims in the country, gave practical examples of how their needs could help shape Tunisia’s transitional justice process. She also called for a robust communications strategy and outreach campaign to engage victims and the population on the nature, purpose and process of transitional justice, promoting understanding and support for it.
 
The Conference, which brought together around 160 people, aimed at contributing to consultations with the public in Tunisia in relation to transitional justice with the support of foreign expertise. It offered a unique opportunity to foreign and national experts to discuss together how to apply lessons learned and best practices from other countries that embarked transitional justice to the specific case of Tunisia.
 
The first day and a half of the Conference was dedicated to a rich discussion on the main topics of transitional justice. On the second afternoon, participants continued the discussion in six Working Groups, in which they expressed their views and perspectives on transitional justice and elaborated concrete recommendations, which were discussed in the plenary session on the last day. The final report, which was adopted by consensus, constitutes a valuable basis to continue consultations in the country with all relevant stakeholders.
 
Documentation:
Program of the Conference
Intervention of Greta Barbone, NPWJ Representative
 

 
For further information, please contact Alison Smith on asmith@npwj.org or +32-(0)2-548-3912 or Greta Barbone on gbarbone@npwj.org or +216 28385079.
 
For more information about NPWJ and KADEM’s work on transitional justice in Tunisia, please click here