Connections
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Active 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Position: Senior Research Specialist Organisation / institution: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation Bio: Dr. Jasmina Brankovic is the Senior Research Specialist at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, South Africa, and at the Institute for Integrated Transitions, Spain. With a focus on participatory methods, Jasmina conducts research on inequality and socioeconomic transformation, climate justice, narrative change, and civil society strategies in transitional contexts. Her publications include Violence, Inequality and Transformation: Apartheid Survivors on South Africa\'s Ongoing Transition (2020), The Global Climate Regime and Transitional Justice (2018) and Advocating Transitional Justice in Africa: The Role of Civil Society (2018). She has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Marburg (Centre for Conflict Studies). Skills and expertise: Transitional justice; peacebuilding; violence prevention; socioeconomic transformation; narratives; participatory methods; South Africa; Africa Reason for membership: Seeking community of practice on transitional justice specific to the African continent. Location: Spain Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmina-brankovic/ -
Active 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Position: Senior Lecturer in International Human Rights Law Organisation / institution: University of Stirling Bio: Dr. Damian Etone is a Senior Lecturer in International Human Rights Law at the University of Stirling. He serves as the Director of the MSc Programme in Human Rights and Diplomacy, a program offered in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). Etone holds an LLM (Distinction) in International Criminal/Human Rights Law from Bangor University (Wales) and a PhD in International Human Rights Law from the University of Adelaide (Australia). Dr. Etone is a co-founding coordinator of the Universal Periodic Review Academic Network (UPRAN), an international network of scholars focused on the UN’s Universal Periodic Review mechanism. His research expertise centers on international human rights law, with a particular focus on the participation of African states in global human rights mechanisms. He has published extensively in the areas of human rights and transitional justice, and is a International Criminal Law Case Reporter for Oxford University Press and recently as Editor of the monograph Human Rights and the UN Universal Periodic Review Mechanism: A Research Companion (2024). In 2023, Dr. Etone was appointed as an Academic Adviser to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC), where he plays a critical role in assessing the academic merit and development potential of scholarship candidates. He also undertook a visiting scholarship at the University of Ghana Law School in 2023, further enhancing his international academic collaborations. Dr. Etone has received prestigious awards and recognitions throughout his career. He was a recipient of the Chevening Scholarship Award (2012-2013), a leadership scholarship funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Beacon of Enlightenment Scholarship Award (2014-2017). Skills and expertise: International law International human rights law Transitional justice international criminal law Teaching and research Reason for membership: Expert Location: United Kingdom Social Media: http://linkedin.com/in/dr-damian-etone-45519174 -
Active 2 months, 1 week ago
Position: Project Officer, Initiative for Transitional Justice in Africa Organisation / institution: African Union Commission Bio: Policy professional with experience in governance, conflict prevention, and transitional justice. Currently working with the African Union Commission, with expertise in international human rights law, democratization, peace-building, and inclusive justice processes for indigenous communities. Skills and expertise: African Regional Human Rights. Transitional Justice in the African Context. Conflict-Related Sexual Violence. Youth Peace & Security. Policy Analyst. Business & Human Rights. Visiting Lecturer (CHR - UP) Reason for membership: To expand my network with experts and professionals in the same or similar fields Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/home.php%20(Facebook)%20https://www.linkedin.com/feed/%20(LinkedIn) -
Active 2 months, 2 weeks ago
Position: Design, Monitoring and Evaluation Lead Organisation / institution: International Center for Transitional Justice Bio: Mateo Porciuncula is a development practitioner, researcher, and ICTJ’s resident design, monitoring, and evaluation expert. He helps ICTJ innovate and build a common understanding of the most appropriate methods and instruments for getting results and assessing program impacts. Mateo has worked in the development field since 2007 and has been involved in most aspects of development aid work, including project and program design, institution building, negotiation, logistics, and, especially, monitoring and evaluation. Before joining ICTJ, he worked for UNDP, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, the Pan American Health Organization, and the Development Aid Agency of Uruguay. Mateo holds a master’s degree in Development Evaluation and Management from the Institute of Development Policy at the University of Antwerp and a B.A. in Political Science from the Universidad de la República in Uruguay. Skills and expertise: - Monitoring and evaluation
- Program design
- Qualitative methods
- Mixed methods
- Data collection
- Political Analysis
- Strategy development
- Strategic planning
- Monitoring and evaluation for Transitional Justice
- Government
- Policy Analysis
- Knowledge Management
- Capacity building on M&E
Reason for membership: Supporting Transitional Justice in Africa. Making evaluation meaningful and truly helpful for people on the ground. Location: New York Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mateo-porciuncula/ -
Active 3 months ago
Position: Adjunct Professor Organisation / institution: Columbia University Bio: Dr. Dianne Williams is a practitioner-scholar specializing in transitional justice, restorative justice, and criminal justice reform across the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa. As Managing Director of ICOD, she advises governments and international organizations on justice sector transformation and institutional accountability. She holds appointments at Columbia University Teachers College in NYC, the University of Wrocław, Poland and the Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Williams is a certified mediator and the architect of Guyana\'s National Restorative Justice Act 2022. Her theoretical work on nested extraction examines how colonial institutional design perpetuates systemic vulnerability, a framework with direct application to post-conflict African contexts. She brings ancestral connection to West and Central Africa and a deep commitment to decolonial approaches to justice, peace, and reconciliation. Skills and expertise: Transitional Justice & Peacebuilding - Transitional Justice
- Restorative Justice
- Ceasefire & Peace Negotiations
- Post-Conflict Reconciliation
- Community Peacebuilding
- Conflict-Sensitive Programming
- Criminal Justice Reform
- Police Accountability
- Justice Sector Capacity Building
- Legislative & Policy Development
- Institutional Assessment
- Decolonial Theory & Methodology
- Qualitative Research
- Training Needs Assessment
- Program Evaluation
- Feminist Political Economy
- Mediation (Florida Supreme Court & T&T Board Certified)
- Stakeholder Engagement & Facilitation
- Training of Trainers
- Curriculum Design
- Gender & Justice
- Human Rights Advocacy
- Indigenous & Community Justice
- Epistemic Justice
- Post-Colonial Governance
Reason for membership: My work on nested extraction and decolonial justice frameworks has deep resonance with African post-conflict contexts, yet my formal networks on the continent remain underdeveloped relative to my Caribbean and Latin American connections. As a practitioner-scholar with active engagement in Africa and ancestral ties to West and Central Africa, I am committed to deepening my contribution to transitional justice on the continent. I am joining to connect with African transitional justice practitioners, build meaningful peer relationships, and contribute to policy and research conversations on restorative and post-conflict justice. This platform offers a rare opportunity to connect across disciplinary and national boundaries, and to position decolonial justice frameworks developed in Caribbean and Latin American contexts in productive dialogue with African scholarship and practice, while learning from African transitional justice experiences that continue to inform and challenge my own theoretical and field work. has deep resonance with African post-conflict contexts, yet my formal networks on the continent remain underdeveloped relative to my Caribbean and Latin American connections. As a practitioner-scholar with active engagement in Africa and ancestral ties to West and Central Africa, I am committed to deepening my contribution to transitional justice on the continent. I am joining to connect with African transitional justice practitioners, build meaningful peer relationships, and contribute to policy and research conversations on restorative and post-conflict justice. This platform offers a rare opportunity to connect across disciplinary and national boundaries — and to position decolonial justice frameworks developed in Caribbean and Latin American contexts in productive dialogue with African scholarship and practice, while learning from African transitional justice experiences that continue to inform and challenge my own theoretic Location: NYC, Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago Social Media: http://linkedin.com/in/dianne-williams-mba-msc-phd-7aa36258/?skipRedirect=true -
Active 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Position: Research Fellow Organisation / institution: Institute for Justice and Reconciliation Bio: Results-oriented consultant and legal scholar with over 20 years of experience navigating the intersection of international human rights law, transitional justice, and development policy. I specialize in harmonizing international standards with domestic criminal systems to create sustainable, rights-based frameworks through a dual commitment to shaping the global normative landscape and delivering direct training and technical assistance to state institutions, multilateral organizations, and civil society across 15+ countries. Since September 2025, I have served as an Honorary Fellow at Bristol University and the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, contributing to research and policy development focused on prevention, while simultaneously advancing global scholarship as Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Disappearance Studies for Bristol University Press. Location: South Africa -
Active 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Position: Senior Legal and Policy Advisor Organisation / institution: Avocats Sans Frontières Bio: Normal 0 false 21 false false false FR-BE X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:\"Tableau Normal\"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:\"\"; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:\"Aptos\",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Aptos; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Aptos; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-font-kerning:1.0pt; mso-ligatures:standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} Dr. Valerie Arnould is Senior Legal and Policy Advisor at Avocats Sans Frontières, with a particular focus on transitional justice and conflict transformation and on the Central Africa and Sahel region. She is also an affiliated senior researcher with the Leuven Institute of Criminology, University of Leuven. She holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London and degrees in international relations and international law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
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Active 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Position: Researcher Organisation / institution: Consultant Bio: James Gondi is a Senior International Law and Transitional Justice Expert with over 18 years of experience working at the intersection of accountability, human rights, and post-conflict justice across Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. James has built a substantive body of work spanning international criminal justice, truth and reconciliation processes, and institutional reform.
As Legal Officer at the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya), James worked at the frontlines of advocacy for the domestication of the Rome Statute in Kenya — a critical period during which the country\'s relationship with the ICC was being actively contested. He engaged on questions of complementarity, state cooperation, and the design of credible local judicial mechanisms to address crimes committed during Kenya\'s 2007–2008 post-election violence. He was a prominent public voice insisting that any domestic accountability process must complement, not displace, the ICC process — a position that shaped civil society\'s engagement with both the Kenyan government and the international community. James also edited Reflections on the 2017 Elections in Kenya: Paper Series on Emerging Judicial Philosophy in Kenya (ICJ Kenya, 2018), a landmark publication cataloguing electoral jurisprudence and judicial independence, held in the collection of Berkeley Law Library. He further edited The Future of International Criminal Justice in Africa (ICJ Kenya), a compendium of critical essays addressing complementarity, the Malabo Protocol, gender justice, and the role of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP) in accountability for atrocity crimes — cementing his position as a leading voice on the trajectory of international criminal justice on the continent.
He led the Baseline Study on Transitional Justice and Reconciliation in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan for the Life & Peace Institute (LPI), a rigorous multi-country assessment that mapped the policy landscape, evaluated the capacity of civil society actors, and identified strategic entry points for transitional justice engagement across three of the Horn of Africa\'s most volatile contexts. The study combined extensive field research — including focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and in-country workshops — with deep comparative analysis of formal and customary justice systems, from Ethiopia\'s traditional dispute resolution mechanisms such as the Shimgelina and Gereb, to Somalia\'s clan-based Xeer and Sudan\'s community-rooted Yuddia. James\'s findings informed LPI\'s Horn of Africa Programme strategy and contributed practically to regional debates on how to sequence and sustain transitional justice processes in politically fragile settings. More recently, he led a Scoping Study on Transitional Justice Entry Points in the Greater Horn of Africa for Impunity Watch -The Hague (Ethiopia, Eritria, Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya & Uganda), further consolidating his regional expertise.
James contributed significantly to research and dissemination of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP), engaging critically with its frameworks for truth, justice, reparations, and institutional reform across African post-conflict contexts. He is a contributor to the International Journal of Transitional Justice and co-author of the Nairobi Principles on Accountability, a landmark policy instrument shaping regional accountability norms.
James brings particular expertise in linking transitional justice with environmental accountability. He has analysed the ICC Office of the Prosecutor\'s Policy on Environmental Crimes through a transitional justice lens — work that positions him at the cutting edge of emerging accountability frameworks. He has also engaged substantively with climate reparations theory and practice, contributing to Pan-African advocacy at the intersection of historical injustice, environmental harm, and reparative justice. James has led campaigns in Africa for the advancement of ecocide law, working to build momentum for the recognition of ecocide as an international crime and its integration into accountability frameworks relevant to the African context.
Skills and expertise: Transitional justice, environmental rule of law and criminal justice reforms Reason for membership: Passion & Expertise in post conflict justice Location: Nairobi, Kenya Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-gondi/ -
Active 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Position: Senior Lecturer Organisation / institution: University College Cork, Ireland Bio: Kylie Thomas is a Senior Lecturer in the School of History and at the Radical Humanities Laboratory at University College Cork, Ireland, and Guest Researcher at NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies in Amsterdam. She holds a PhD from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and is the author of Impossible Mourning: HIV/AIDS and Visuality after apartheid and Afterimages of Apartheid: Photography and Resistance (2025). Skills and expertise: Research; writing; analysis Reason for membership: Research Location: Ireland -
Active 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Position: Indépendant International Consultant Organisation / institution: Independant Bio: I am an international expert in transitional justice, rule of law and governance, with over 25 years of professional experience, including 15 years with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Africa. I served as Chief Technical Advisor to the national reconciliation process in Guinea (2015–2016), where I led the UNDP project supporting the National Reconciliation Commission. In this role, I coordinated nationwide consultations, facilitated dialogue among key stakeholders, and contributed to the development of policy recommendations aimed at fostering reconciliation, social cohesion and sustainable peace. My broader experience includes work on justice reform, security sector reform and peacebuilding in fragile and post-conflict contexts across Central and West Africa. Skills and expertise: Transitional Justice Rule of Law Justice Sector Reform Security Sector Reform (SSR) National Reconciliation Peacebuilding Governance Reform Institutional Capacity Building Programme Management Stakeholder Engagement Reason for membership: I am seeking to join the African Transitional Justice Network to further engage with a community of practitioners and experts working on transitional justice and reconciliation processes across the continent. My professional experience includes serving as Chief Technical Advisor for the UNDP-supported programme assisting the National Reconciliation Commission in Guinea (2015–2016), where I contributed to the design and implementation of national consultations and reconciliation processes. I am particularly interested in sharing experiences, learning from peers and contributing to knowledge exchange on transitional justice, accountability mechanisms and peacebuilding in fragile and post-conflict contexts in Africa. Location: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gastonasitaki/ -
Active 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Position: Professor of Criminology and President, African Forum for Restorative Justice Organisation / institution: African forum for Restorative Justice Bio: Don John O. Omale PhD is an UNODC Expert in Restorative Justice; a British Chevening Scholar of Criminology; and Professor of Criminology at the Federal University Wukari Taraba State, Nigeria. He was two times Head of Department from 2018-2022 before joining the School of Law and Criminology University of Derby UK where he is currently teaching Criminology, Restorative Justice Victimology. He holds BSc Psychology (University of Nigeria, Nsukka), MSc Criminology (University of Leicester, UK) and PhD Criminology with specialism in Restorative Justice & Victimology at the Centre for Community and Criminal Justice, De-Montfort University Leicester, England, UK. He is undoubtedly the first black African to be awarded PhD in Restorative Justice and Victimology. He is an alumnus of the Rotary Foundation International “Group Study Exchange Programme” to California, District 5230 USA (2002).; an Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Delegate to the Model United Nations Congress in New York, USA (2003) funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London. He voluntarily disengaged from the Nigerian Prisons Service as Assistant Controller of Prisons (ACP), and has directed Research and Training at the Prisons Staff College Kaduna, and the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna respectively. He is internationally published, and has presented academic papers in Restorative Justice, Counter Violent Extremism and Victimology at international conferences in the UK, USA, Canada, The Hague; Bangkok, Valletta-Malta, South Africa, Mozambique, Addis Ababa, Morocco, Cairo, Egypt and Dakar, Senegal. He is an International Advisory Board member to the Restorative Justice Initiative Midland, UK, the Community of Restorative Researchers, UK and Restorative Justice International, USA respectively. He is also the “Africa Book Review Correspondent” to the International Journal of Restorative Justice at the Catholic University, Leuven, Belgium. And Editorial Team of the International Encyclopedia of Restorative Justice: Africa Volume. He is a member of the World Society of Victimology and Fellow of the Institute of Criminology and Penology, Lagos, Nigeria. He is the author of a bestseller book titled ‘Restorative Justice and Victimology: Euro-Africa Perspectives’ published in The Hague, Netherlands by Wolf Legal Publishers. He is the Founder of African forum for Restorative Justice and his research impact includes the mainstreaming of Restorative Justice in the Nigerian Criminal Justice System culminating in the enactment of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019. Skills and expertise: Research and Training Reason for membership: To enhance \"restorative \" transitional justice programmes in Africa through research and training Location: Derby, UK -
Active 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Position: Former Executive Secretary, Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), Gambia / Member AU TJ Reference Group Organisation / institution: Independent Consultant Bio: Dr. Baba G. Jallow is former Executive Secretary of Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), a position he held from February 2018 to February 2022. He received his Masters in Liberal Studies from Rutgers University, Camden, NJ (2005) and his Ph. D in African History from the University of California at Davis (2011). His research interests include the history of colonial and post-colonial Africa, transitional justice and truth commissions, and negotiation and conflict resolution. Prior to his appointment as Executive Secretary of the TRRC, Dr. Jallow taught African history at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From July 2023 to June 2024, he served as the Inaugural Roger D. Fisher Fellow in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at Harvard Law School. Dr. Jallow is a member of the African Union’s Continental Reference Group on Transitional Justice in Africa.
Skills and expertise: African History / African Studies Transitional Justice / Truth Commissions Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Reason for membership: Interest in and ongoing work in transitional justice Location: Banjul, The Gambia Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CgV52uxvn/
