Reparations, Responsibility and Victimhood in Transitional Societies

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ContextReparations have long been a legal and political tool of making amends for past wrongs in post conflict and transitional societies. In essence, reparations aim to restore what is owed, compensate for loss, acknowledge wrongs and remedy the injured. Over the past 60 years, there has been a proliferation of reparations programmes from Germany's reparations to victims of the Holocaust (80 billion DM) and the UN Claims Commission set up for the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait ($55 billion). More recently, individual perpetrators at the International Criminal Court have been ordered to provide reparations to their victims. International bodies, local courts and truth commissions have also recognised victims' right to reparations. Despite these developments, fundamental theoretical and policy questions concerning how to remedy mass violations of human rights remain. Aims and ObjectivesThis project will seek to develop a theoretical and practical understanding of the relationship between reparations, responsibility and victimhood in transitional societies. To achieve this it will: - Examine five cross-cutting themes in Colombia, Guatemala, Nepal, Northern Ireland, Peru and Uganda of: (1) Eligibility and Complex Victimhood; (2) Reparations, Acknowledgement and Truth Recovery; (3) Victim Ownership, Mobilisation and Participation; (4) Responsibility, Accountability and the State/Non-State Axis; and (5) Finance, Feasibility and Development;- Develop a research instrument structured around the themes above and conduct 20 semi-structured interviews in each jurisdiction with key government officials, civil society organisations, victim groups, ex-combatants, legal and political figures; and- Conduct a review of the relevant scholarly and policy literature across a range of relevant disciplines that illuminate the five project themes.Potential Applications and Benefits This project will be of value to academics, civil society and international organisations. Academically, the project will help develop a thicker understanding of the relationship between reparations, responsibility and victimhood in transitional societies. These broader theoretical considerations will be explored and disseminated through a scholarly monograph, at least five journal articles or book chapters and over a dozen conference presentations.At the level of policy and practice, this project will inform domestic debates on reparations in each of the six case studies with two bespoke reports for each jurisdiction (translated into local languages), two handbooks, and one guidelines on reparations in transitional societies. This research will also be highly relevant to international organisations like the UN, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Criminal Court, and the International Organisation for Migration, as well as policymakers and donors, international and regional courts and transnational civil society actors, which are involved in developing or adjudicating reparations around the world.'Fit' with Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)This project aligns with the goals of the GCRF with its focus on conflict reconciliation, transitional justice and cohesive communities, and a 'human-centred' approach to conflict reconciliation. Given the focus of the research on reparations in Low/Middle Income countries and the broad range of outputs targeted at divided or marginalised populations (i.e. handbooks for civil society groups and non-state armed groups) as well as guidelines for International Organisations to aid the design of reparations programmes, we believe that this project is Official Development Assistance (ODA) compliant. Given the links between post-conflict stability, sustainable economic and societal development this research addresses an evidenced need, the primary beneficiaries of this highly impactful project will be disadvantaged populations.