Africa has been a hub of transitional justice for three decades. Many of the concepts and mechanisms conceived and implemented on the continent have been earmarked as global blueprints and examples of the potential and challenges of transitional justice. Drawing on lessons learnt from these diverse experiences, the African Union in 2019 adopted its Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP), which defines transitional justice as “the various (formal and traditional or non-formal) policy measures and institutional mechanisms that societies, through an inclusive consultative process, adopt in order to overcome past violations, divisions and inequalities and to create conditions for both security and democratic and socio-economic transformation.” From 2017 through 2020, the Department of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation organised annual African Transitional Justice Forums—multi-stakeholder platforms for identifying solutions rooted in collective and national experiences, sharing best practices to advance an African transitional justice discourse and practice, and generating new ideas on how to support transitional justice processes on the continent, while facilitating cooperation. The ideas and experiences shared at these Forums have contributed to the development, dissemination and implementation of the AUTJP, in addition to critical reflection on how to elaborate its provisions. This policy brief presents the recommendations of the four African Transitional Justice Forums, arranged by stakeholder.
