Rule of Law Tools for Post-conflict States

For transitional justice efforts to be effective, they must be grounded in international human rights standards. Above all, they must be human rights-based: consistently focusing on the rights and needs of victims and their families. A human rights-based approach to transitional justice demands that programmes should be designed in a context of In-depth consultation with affected communities. International human rights law requires national consultations to be undertaken. consultation can particularly benefit the design of specific aspects of transitional justice programmes, such as determining the best formal role for victims to play, highlighting the experience of otherwise neglected victim groups. In addition, national consultations can revitalize stalled or excessively slow to moving peace processes or make it difficult for peace negotiators and other decision makers to back out of their commitments to transitional justice.