Transitional justice and peacebuilding emerged as coherent disciplines along a similar timeline. Practitioners in each field gained experience working after periods of violent conflict, repression, and mass human rights violations. Especially since the 1990s, ad hoc mechanisms and activities have developed into more integrated and strategic approaches.
However, while transitional justice and peacebuilding often take place in the same context, they do not always work hand-in-hand. Tensions between the approaches, or a lack of joint planning, often prevent the two fields from working in complementary ways. Materials frequently target practitioners in one field or the other.
A second gap in the literature concerns local action. Studies of peacebuilding often focus on the big picture. They examine strategies and actions by international entities, such as the Security Council, peacekeeping missions, and UN agencies, and national actions and bodies such as peace agreements, constituent assemblies, parliaments, and special commissions. While these subjects are all important parts of peacebuilding, often the most profound and transformative actions are by individuals and families at the local level.
The same can be said for transitional justice, such as victim-survivor learning to come to terms with her pain and loss, developing her agency, and living a full life within her family and community. Change is experienced and consolidated at the local level, where everyday life is lived, even while national strategies provide critical frameworks.
These workbooks address both these challenges. First, they are designed for NGOs and civil society organisations focusing on transitional justice, while operating within peacebuilding contexts. Second, the workbooks encourage analysis and offer practical ideas and strategies for local action. Examples demonstrate that meaningful local civil society action is not just possible, but essential in conflict’s complex political, security and institutional settings.