INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE PROGRAMME
Supporting international & regional justice and human rights mechanisms to bridge expertise gaps and promote the inclusion of marginalized victims.
INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE PROGRAMME EXPERT DEPLOYMENTS IN 2024
The Issue
International justice is a critical component of building respect for human rights and the rule of law around the world. Achieving justice for international crimes and serious human rights violations can be the first step toward reconciliation for those affected by mass atrocities. However, international and regional justice processes sometimes lack the highly technical expertise, such as forensics, military, or technological expertise. Historically, there has also been a lack in such processes of dedicated expertise focusing on inclusive justice processes and investigations for vulnerable groups suffering from discrimination.
Scarf that women detainees in Iran were required to put to cover their hair in detention. Photo credits, Behnaz.
Our Approach
The International Justice Programme partners with members of the international community contributing to international justice processes to bridge a crucial gap in specialized expertise. We work to anticipate and address specialized investigation needs. Justice Rapid Response has worked closely with international investigative mechanisms to jointly define expertise gaps, investigation parameters and capacity building programmes, especially in the fields of sexual and gender-based violence, financial investigations, and violations affecting children.
Our Impact
How Financial Investigations Expertise in Accountability Efforts Makes a Difference in Libya
JRR has been a trusted supporter of the work of the UN Fact-finding Mission (FFM) on Libya, including by providing a Financial Investigations and Gender Specialist to help shed light on the misappropriation of public funds by active militia and other State affiliated groups. In detention centres, the FFM found reasonable grounds to believe that guards demanded and received payment for the release of migrants. Trafficking, enslavement, forced labour, imprisonment, extortion and smuggling generated significant revenue for individuals, groups, and State institutions. The significant revenue generated incentivized the continuation of the violations documented. Following the release of the FFM’s final report in 2023, the ICC Prosecutor indicated before the Security Council that “four warrants were issued by the independent judges of the International Criminal Court” against alleged perpetrators of grave crimes in Libya. The ICC Prosecutor confirmed that his office received information from the FFM and closely collaborated with it.
Group of migrants walking along a barbed wire fence. AI generated image. Credits: Adobe Stock.
Rohingya children making drawings of what they witnessed in Myanmar. Credits: Anna Dubuis/DFID.
Seeking Justice & Accountability at All Levels for Myanmar Survivors
Myanmar is currently facing a multi-dimensional crisis that has resulted in considerable regression of a whole spectrum of rights of people across the country. Ruled for many years by authoritarian military governments that suppressed opposition, it was the theatre of atrocity crimes committed against the Muslim Rohingya minority in 2017. The civil war between the military and multiple ethnic armed groups intensified since February 2021, further exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian and human rights crisis.
Since 2015, JRR has been actively involved in all the main avenues and mechanisms for accountability that were established to date to bring justice to victims and survivors. This includes the support with gender and military expertise of the UN Human Rights Council’s mandated Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (FFM). The FFM’s findings raised public awareness of the plight of the Rohingya minority from Myanmar, and have been used to bring a case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice, support the work of the International Criminal Court, and informed the creation of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar to facilitate criminal proceedings.
Our Partners
The International Justice Programme has over a dozen partnerships with international mechanisms. Here are just two of these longstanding partnerships.
UN Women
JRR is proud to have developed a longstanding partnership with UN Women. Together, we are dedicated to supporting the international community’s efforts to mainstream a gender lens in justice processes and keep fighting impunity for sexual and gender-based violence.
OHCHR
JRR enjoys a longstanding partnership with OHCHR. Together, we collaborated with the identification and deployment of technical expertise from the JRR Roster in support of investigation bodies, country and regional offices in their human rights documentation efforts.
UNICEF
JRR and UNICEF share a longstanding collaboration since 2015 and signed a Standby Partnership Agreement the same year. JRR has deployed over 30 experts in support to support the United Nations in documenting grave violations against children and for other child rights related work in multiple regions around the globe.
Office
Rue Dr-Alfred-Vincent 10
1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Call Us
Telephone : +41 (0)22 544 29 00