Category Archives: Press Releases

The Right to Know Campaign – 29 August 2012

Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

29th August 2012

 

The Right to Know: Campaign against disappearances in Northern Uganda

GULU – On the 30th August 2012 the Justice and Reconciliation Project will launch the “Right to Know” campaign on the internationally recognised day against enforced disappearances. In commemoration of this day, we are reminded of the long walk to relative peace in Northern Uganda and the turbulent past atrocities experienced for over two decades in the region. The “Right to Know” campaign is an advocacy platform that seeks to explore and situate the concerns and anguish of families/relatives of missing persons and to contextualise them within the on-going Transitional Justice (TJ) debates taking place in Uganda.

In collaboration with Children/Youth as Peace Builders (CAP) Uganda, JRP will hold a Dialogue on Disappearances to commemorate the International Day of the Disappeared on 30 August 2012. The Dialogue will take place at Hotel Free Zone in Gulu between 09:00am and 1:30pm on Thursday the 30th of August 2012 and will be attended by family members and relatives of missing persons from West Nile, Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions as well as members of the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN). The day’s events will include a screening of a short film entitled “The Right to Truth and Justice”, which highlights the views of families of missing persons, as well as a candle lighting and prayer to pay respect and show solidarity with families affected by the issue. The event will be officiated by the Guest of Honour, Rwot David Acana II, the Paramount Chief of the Acholi Kingdom.

Based on JRP’s interactions with victims and survivors of the conflict, the “Right to Know” campaign arose from a realisation that despite the fact that the guns have fallen silent in Northern Uganda, many are still struggling to come to terms with some of its effects. Statistics published by CAP Uganda in 2012 show that in Gulu District alone up to 30 per cent of all people abducted by the LRA are still unaccounted for and 1036 alone are still missing as a result of the conflict in Northern Uganda. As such, many families continue to seek answers as to the whereabouts of their loved ones. The campaign aims to acknowledge their efforts and to bring attention to the issue of missing persons to the Government of Uganda, Civil Society Organisations and the public as a whole.

JRP acknowledges the efforts of the Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) to promote Transitional Justice (TJ) which have ushered in renewed efforts towards accountability and reconciliation in Uganda. While these avenues are commendable, concerns remain that the question of persons still missing or unaccounted for which continue to be unaddressed and have not been subject to sufficient debate in the on-going TJ processes. JRP therefore calls upon the JLOS to come up with specific policy and pragmatic actions within the on-going TJ mechanisms to address the issue of persons still missing or unaccounted with immediate effect.

Other activities involved in the campaign have included:

  • A series of dialogues in the Greater North – Public dialogues with community members have been held in Pakwach in Arua District, Obalanga in Amuria District and Abok in Oyam District.
  • Radio discussions – Radio talk shows have been a crucialmedium for engaging with the public, sharing individual stories of missing persons and bringing greater publicity to the issue.
  • Documentary – The documentary “The Right to Truth and Justice” will be available for viewing on JRP’s website, YouTube account and at the Gulu Office on the 3rd of September onwards.
  • Online debates – Members of the public are encouraged to submit their views on JRP’s Facebook page and to read blogs, view pictures and submit comments on our website.
  • JRP’s Voices Magazine – Members of the public are encouraged to submit articles in the next issue of the Voices magazine which will be focusing on the theme ‘the Right to Truth’ with special consideration to missing persons.

 

###

 

ABOUT JRP

The Justice and Reconciliation Project promotes locally sensitive and sustainable peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region by focusing on the active involvement of grassroots communities in local-level transitionaljustice. Formerly a partnership of the Gulu District NGO Forum and the Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia, Canada, JRP has played a key role in transitional justice in Uganda since 2005, through seeking to understand and explain the interests, needs, concerns and views of thecommunities affected by war between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and Government of Uganda (GOU).JRP became an independent NGO in 2010 with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Kampala.

 

Visit our website for media information and our press kit – http://justiceandreconciliation.com/about/information-kit/

“Teso—Enhancing grassroots involvement in transitional justice debates,” JRP, 8 February 2011

Press Releases, , ,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 8, 2011

 

MEDIA ADVISORY

Enhancing grassroots involvement in transitional justice debates

SOROTI— From February 9-10,2011, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP), in partnership with the South Africa-based Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), will hold a two-day grassroots consultation in Soroti to explore local perspectives on transitional justice.

As the third in a series of three consultations, the Teso consultation will be held at the Landmark Hotel in Soroti Town, and will engage local-level, grassroots persons directly affected by conflict to ensure that their opinions are not left out of the wider discussions. Thirty participants, comprising primarily of victims and victims’ groups and religious and cultural leaders from across the sub-region, will convene to share views on truth-seeking, traditional justice, community reparations and gender justice.

Previous consultations were held in West Nile from November 24-25, 2010, and Acholi/Lango from December 1-2, 2010. The findings from the three consultations will be presented at a regional meeting later this year and will work to influence policy recommendations for the implementation of key transitional justice mechanisms in the region.

These consultations are part of a larger JRP/IJR joint project, titled “Enhancing Grassroots Participation in Transitional Justice Debates,” which aims to intensify local advocacy and consultation of victims in northern Uganda around issues of transitional justice in light of the 2011 presidential and parliamentary elections. Since last year, JRP/IJR has held extensive consultations with a broad range of stakeholders, including grassroots communities, JLOS (Justice, Law and Order Sector), CSOs and local government leaders to gain a clearer sense of how justice needs can be met.

Media are invited to attend the opening and closing sessions of each of the regional consultations. For more information, email info@justiceandreconciliation.com or call Lindsay McClain, JRP Communications Officer, at +256 (0)471433008 or +256 (0)783300103. Or, visit us on the web at www.justiceandreconciliation.com or www.ijr.org.za.

 

About JRP

The Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) promotes locally sensitive and sustainable peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region by focusing on the active involvement of grassroots communities in local-level transitional justice. They are based in Gulu, northern Uganda.

About IJR

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) promotes for reconciliation and socio-economic justice in Africa through strategic partnerships and carefully constructed interventions. They are based in Cape Town, South Africa.

To download this press release, click here.

“Victims of war in West Nile receive advocacy skills training,” JRP, 1 February 2011

Press Releases, , , ,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 1, 2011

 

Victims of war in West Nile receive advocacy skills training

ARUA— From February 1-3, 2011, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) will hold a three-day workshop in Arua to train victims of war in West Nile on how to use advocacy strategies to seek redress for the transitional justice issues that affect them most. On Friday, February 4, 2011, the participants will implement their training in a meeting with local leaders to seek justice solutions for war victims in the region.

This training and meeting will be held at the Jershem Hotel in Arua town with members of the West Nile Kony Rebel War Victims Association, and will engage local-level, grassroots persons directly affected by conflict to apply advocacy and lobbying strategies to their demand for justice for past abuses.

Participants will explore a variety of advocacy and lobbying strategies including: problem identification and analysis, proposal and objective formulation, and strategy implementation. These tools will help victims identify “what needs to be done?” and “how?” During the course of the training, victims will formulate a statement to be presented to local leaders at Friday’s meeting.

This training is part of a larger initiative by JRP to ensure that the opinions of victims are not left out of the wider discussions on transitional justice issues such as community reparations, truth-seeking, reconciliation, traditional justice, and gender justice.

Media are invited to observe portions of the training sessions and to cover the meeting with local leaders. For more information, email info@justiceandreconciliation.com or call Sylvia Opinia, JRP Community Mobilisation Team Leader, at +256 (0)471433008 or +256 (0)772332353. Or, visit us on the web at www.justiceandreconciliation.com.

 

About JRP

The Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) promotes locally sensitive and sustainable peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region by focusing on the active involvement of grassroots communities in local-level transitional justice. They are based in Gulu, northern Uganda.

To download this press release, click here.

“Gulu- Enhancing grassroots involvement in transitional justice debates,” JRP, 30 November 2010

Press Releases, , , ,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 30, 2010

 

MEDIA ADVISORY

 

Enhancing grassroots involvement in transitional justice debates

GULU— From December 1-2, 2010, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP), in partnership with the South Africa-based Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), will hold a two-day grassroots consultation in Gulu to explore local perspectives on transitional justice.

As the second in a series of three consultations, the Acholi/Lango consultation will be held at the GUSCO (Gulu Support the Children Organisation) office in Gulu Town, and will engage local-level, grassroots persons directly affected by conflict to ensure that their opinions are not left out of the wider discussions. Thirty participants, comprising primarily of victims and victims’ groups and religious and cultural leaders from across the two sub-regions, will convene to share views on truth-seeking, traditional justice, community reparations and gender justice.

A subsequent consultation will be held in the Teso sub-region from December 8-9. A consultation in West Nile was held from November 24-25. The findings from the three consultations will be presented at a regional meeting early next year and will work to influence policy recommendations for the implementation of key transitional justice mechanisms in the region.

These consultations are part of a larger JRP/IJR joint project, titled “Enhancing Grassroots Participation in Transitional Justice Debates,” which aims to intensify local advocacy and consultation of victims in northern Uganda around issues of transitional justice ahead of the 2011 presidential and parliamentary elections. Over the next three months, JRP/IJR will hold extensive consultations with a broad range of stakeholders, including grassroots communities, JLOS (Justice, Law and Order Sector), CSOs and local government leaders to gain a clearer sense of how justice needs can be met.

Media are invited to attend the opening and closing sessions of each of the regional consultations. For more information, email info@justiceandreconciliation.com or call Lindsay McClain, JRP Communications Officer, at +256 (0)471433008 or +256 (0)783300103. Or, visit us on the web at www.justiceandreconciliation.com or www.ijr.org.za.

 
 

About JRP

The Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) promotes locally sensitive and sustainable peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region by focusing on the active involvement of grassroots communities in local-level transitional justice. They are based in Gulu, northern Uganda.

About IJR

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) promotes for reconciliation and socio-economic justice in Africa through strategic partnerships and carefully constructed interventions. They are based in Cape Town, South Africa.

To download this press release, click here

“Arua- Enhancing grassroots involvement in transitional justice debates,” JRP, 23 November 2010

Press Releases, , , , ,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 23, 2010

Enhancing grassroots involvement in transitional justice debates

GULU / ARUA / SOROTI— Today the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP), in partnership with the South Africa-based Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), commences a series of grassroots consultations in northern Uganda to explore local perspectives on transitional justice.

The first consultation, to be held November 24-25 at Slumberland Hotel in Arua Town, will engage local-level, grassroots persons directly affected by conflict to ensure that their opinions are not left out of the wider discussions. Thirty participants, comprising primarily of victims and victims’ groups and religious and cultural leaders from across the sub-region, will convene to share views on truth-seeking, traditional justice, community reparations and gender justice.

Subsequent consultations will be held in Gulu/Lango from December 1-2 and Teso sub-region from December 8-9. The findings will be presented at a regional meeting early next year and will work to influence policy recommendations for the implementation of key transitional justice mechanisms in the region.

These consultations are part of a larger JRP/IJR project, titled “Enhancing Grassroots Participation in Transitional Justice Debates,” which aims to intensify local advocacy and consultation of victims in northern Uganda around issues of transitional justice ahead of the 2011 presidential and parliamentary elections. Over the next three months, JRP/IJR will hold extensive consultations with a broad range of stakeholders, including grassroots communities, JLOS (Justice, Law and Order Sector), CSOs and local government leaders to gain a clearer sense of how justice needs can be met.

Media are invited to attend the opening and closing sessions of each of the regional consultations. For more information, email info@justiceandreconciliation.com or call Lindsay McClain, JRP Communications Officer, at +256 (0)471433008 or +256 (0)783300103. Or, visit us on the web at www.justiceandreconciliation.com or www.ijr.org.za.

 

About JRP

The Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) promotes locally sensitive and sustainable peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region by focusing on the active involvement of grassroots communities in local-level transitional justice. They are based in Gulu, northern Uganda.

About IJR

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) promotes for reconciliation and socio-economic justice in Africa through strategic partnerships and carefully constructed interventions. They are based in Cape Town, South Africa.

To download this press release, click here.

“Casting election ballots to address victimhood,” JRP, 16 November 2010

Press Releases, , ,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 16, 2010

Casting election ballots to address victimhood

 

GULU— The 2011 Ugandan elections need candidates and parties who commit themselves to sustainable peace in Uganda. This requires not only forward-looking planning and development, but also stakeholders who address past abuses and feelings of injustice. Today, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) officially launches an advocacy campaign titled, “Casting the Ballot to Address Victimhood: A Call to Put Transitional Justice on the Election Agenda,” to engage war-affected communities and candidates into bringing transitional justice (TJ) issues to the forefront of the elections.

As Uganda enters election season, we see an immense opportunity for war-affected communities to influence the direction that the justice and reconciliation debate takes in this country, whilst informing aspiring politicians of the political and social value of prioritizing transitional justice. Internationally, transitional justice, or TJ, is increasingly recognized as an important tool in resolving post-conflict instability. However, in many circles, especially among politicians and policy-makers, TJ still remains underestimated and largely misunderstood. In a country like Uganda, with a history of violence, citizens and leaders informed of the merits of TJ mechanisms are vital to healing the wounds of war and ensuring the sustainability of peace—locally, regionally, and nationally.

In order to ensure that victim’s voices and interests are at the forefront of contestants’ minds in the upcoming elections, transitional justice must be prioritized on the election agenda. War-affected communities can prioritize TJ by using their votes wisely and voting only for candidates and parties who address and acknowledge their concerns.

According to the communities in which we work, votes this election should be in favour of contestants and parties who commit to:

  1. Accountability for past abuses: That they support a fair, transparent and balanced national transitional justice system that includes judicial investigations and prosecutions and traditional justice mechanisms, so those responsible for human rights violations are held accountable.
  2. National reconciliation through truth-telling: That they support provisions for truth-telling both at the national and community-levels, so that forgiveness, healing and reconciliation can take place in Uganda.
  3. Reparations for war victims: That they support a national reparations policy to fairly administer reparations to war victims in Uganda. There is need for coordination of all compensation efforts to ensure that reparations schemes across the country are consistent and that victims are consulted throughout the process.
  4. Memorialization: That they commit to undertake symbolic measures to promote remembrance, healing and closure nationally and among their constituencies.
  5. Gender justice: That they support efforts that challenge impunity for sexual and gender-based violence and ensure women and children’s equal access to redress of human rights violations.
  6. Structural reforms: That they support efforts that transform state institutions from instruments of repression and corruption to instruments of public service delivery and integrity, with a transparent and independent military, police and judiciary.

This strategy to encourage voters to hold candidates accountable matches our general approach to community involvement: the most successful activities will engage and empower communities to act for themselves. By reminding voters to ask their candidates where TJ is in their manifestos and then offering six general action points to guide their advocacy, we frame these communities’ arguments into a unifying demand that provides strength in numbers.

Throughout the region, and unfortunately much of the world, there is still a profound lack of understanding of how transitional justice can be effectively implemented. But by mobilizing war-affected communities to demand their grievances be addressed and acknowledged, we are providing communities and the country at large a space for reflection, debate, and analysis of the issues.

Knowledge on effective (and ineffective) TJ measures in these complex environments can greatly combat prevailing cycles of violence and contribute to lasting, sustainable peace in northern Uganda and elsewhere. Putting TJ on the election agenda is crucial to prioritizing the issues, meeting victims’ and survivors’ needs, and constructively ending impunity for past abuses and moving forward as a peaceful Uganda.

For more information on this campaign, email info@justiceandreconciliation.com or call Lindsay McClain, Communications Officer, at +256 (0)471433008. Or, visit us on the web at www.justiceandreconciliation.com.

 

ABOUT JRP

The Justice and Reconciliation Project promotes locally sensitive and sustainable peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region by focusing on the active involvement of grassroots communities in local-level transitional justice. Formerly a partnership of the Gulu District NGO Forum and the Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia, Canada, JRP has played a key role in transitional justice in Uganda since 2005, through seeking to understand and explain the interests, needs, concerns and views of the communities affected by war between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and Government of Uganda (GOU). JRP became an independent NGO in 2010 with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Kampala.

To download this press release, click here