Spotlight: ISS analysis contributes to high-level peace and justice dialogue

Incisive analysis by ISS researchers contributed to the success of the Embassy of the Netherlands’ Dialogues on Peace and Justice Programme

Published on 22 September 2014 in Impact

Incisive analysis by researchers at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) contributed to the success of a public diplomacy programme on international justice hosted by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Pretoria.

The Dialogues on Peace and Justice Programme was held from 8 to 10 September, and saw a delegation of judges, presidents, and secretaries-general of international justice organisations based in The Hague visit South Africa to engage in dialogues on peace and justice. The delegation included:

• HE Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, Judge, International Court of Justice (ICJ)
• HE Judge Sang-Hyun Song, President, International Criminal Court (ICC)
• HE Judge Bakone Justice Moloto, Judge, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
• HE Hugo Hans Siblesz, Secretary-General, Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
• HE Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary-General, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HccH)

Other prominent individuals in the international criminal justice field that joined the programme included Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor at the ICC and Phakiso Mochochoko who runs jurisdiction, cooperation and complementarity at the ICC.

‘The Embassy’s vision, in organising the Dialogues on Peace and Justice Programme, was to facilitate conversations on issues that affect our world,’ said Robert-Jan Siegert, acting Dutch Ambassador to South Africa. ‘The ISS played an important role in helping us achieve this goal’.

Since 2008, the ISS has, through its International Crime in Africa Programme, made a leading contribution to research and analysis on international criminal justice in Africa. The ISS also offers integrated training across east, southern and West Africa, focusing on the principles of complementarity and strengthening domestic justice processes. The Dialogues on Peace and Justice Programme was an important occasion for the ISS to provide critical yet constructive perspectives.

ISS researcher Ottilia Anna Maunganidze and ISS consultant Dr Dire Tladi briefed the visiting delegation on the opening day of the programme. Judge Yusuf, head of the delegation, described the briefing as an integral part of their visit, acknowledging the key role that ISS plays in debates on international justice, and the balanced support that it provides to institutions.

This sentiment was echoed by Siegert: ‘The intricate views of Prof Dire Tladi and Ms Ottilia Maunganidze formed an astute and incisive introduction to international justice in Africa’.

The ISS also participated in roundtable discussions organised at the University of the Witwatersrand. At the public panel discussion on ‘Transitional Justice at a Crossroads: Lessons from South Africa, Comparative Perspectives, and Ideas for the Future’, the central role of victims in transitional and international justice was discussed by ISS researcher Allan Ngari.

‘The immensely incisive address by Allan Ngari, as part of the panel discussion chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, centred the questions of international justice exactly where they should be: on the victims of international crimes. His invaluable insight was a source of much reflection for the delegation and the audience’ said Siegert.

The visiting delegation’s trip alsoincluded a civil society dialogue hosted by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation and a public, interactive discussion hosted by the University of Cape Town.