Secretariat - Training Section

When: 24 September 2012 - 28 September 2012

Where: Barcelona, Spain

Organized by: The Barcelona International Peace Resource Center (BIPRC) and the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)

This course will focus this year on the challenge of recognizing the experiences of vulnerable populations in the work of truth commissions.

Under what conditions can truth commissions make a positive contribution to gender justice? How can they put in place a friendly process for children? Can they contribute to the rights of indigenous peoples? What are the practical and conceptual considerations facing mediators, donors, and international and national actors as they engage with truth commissions?

The course is intended to provide busy practitioners with an opportunity to reflect on these and related questions under the guidance of leading experts in the field of transitional justice.

It seeks to prepare practitioners directly involved in human rights, rule of law, and transitional justice with the necessary tools to assess the appropriateness of creating a truth commission in the wake of protracted conflict or dictatorship, and how to ensure the design and implementation of such measures are sensitive to contextual realities. The course provides participants with the knowledge required to conceive, implement, and engage with truth commissions in the light of best international practice and principles.

The course will discuss truth-seeking as part of a comprehensive approach to deal with massive human rights violations, with the aim of building sustainable peace, strengthening the rule of law, and contributing to reconciliation in divided societies.

It will critically appraise truth commissions as instruments to implement the rights of victims of gross human rights violations. Course participants will learn how and why truth commissions have emerged as accountability mechanisms, and assess their potentials and limitations. The course curriculum balances academic reflection with concrete considerations relevant to practitioners. Participants will explore the political and practical challenges around the design, implementation, and follow-up of a truth commission. The format includes a combination of lectures, small group discussion, and simulations. Active participation is expected from all participants as the course depends on an exchange of practical experiences.

The program is primarily targeted at mid-career and senior staff of multilateral agencies, governments, NGOs, foundations, and universities who wish to undertake an intensive course on cutting-edge developments in the expanding field of transitional justice. Practitioners directly involved in countries considering the establishment of truth commissions or similar efforts are especially encouraged to apply.

If you have any questions please contact Ms. Kelen Meregali, Truth and Memory Program Associate, at kmeregali@ictj.org.

Please note: There is a fee to participate in this course, and no scholarships are available at this time. More information can be found in the call for applications. Deadline to apply has been extended to July 16, 2012.

The application form can be downloaded here: http://ictj.org/sites/default/files/null/2012_BarcelonaCourse_Applicatio...

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