Statement at the 58th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the OHCHR’s report on transitional justice
Delivered by Sigrid Lipott, CIVICUS
Thank you, Mr President.
CIVICUS commends the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and support its findings.
In the face of shrinking civic space, the work of civil society organizations (CSOs) remains key at the national, regional and international levels towards responding to the challenges of laying the ground for transitional justice processes, with a view to sustaining peace and development. Strategies employed by CSOs encompass monitoring, undertaking advocacy, raising awareness, mobilising victims, requesting accountability, and providing legal assistance related to serious past and present human rights violations.
We urge States to implement the main areas of guarantees of non-recurrence at the societal level to empower CSOs to contribute to the development of transitional justice mechanisms and tools: (a) ceasing attacks and threats against civil society, including HRDs; (b) legal empowerment, including at the community level; (c) creating an enabling environment for civil society more broadly, and d) ensuring the respect of fundamental rights, which is a prerequisite for any transitional justice process to work. In addition, we call on States to take measures to ensure the protection of civil society actors engaging in civil society led truth-seeking processes and reporting on reprisals occurring in transitional justice contexts.
We also encourage States to regularly consult CSOs on the ground to ensure that measures adopted in the implementation of transitional justice processes remain victim-centred, meaningful, effective and inclusive, including by engaging CSOs and most marginalised groups in devising and implementing relevant national laws, policies, strategic frameworks, and action plans.
Empowering civil society and communities at the local level to lead development efforts, including through access to resources, can also help create a conducive environment for innovative approaches to transitional justice.
We thank you.
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