UN RIGHTS OFFICE PUBLISHES TOOLS TO HELP COUNTRIES REESTABLISH RULE OF LAW AFTER CONFLICT

3 April 2005

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is publishing a set of guidelines designed to help UN field missions and transitional administrations effectively advise countries emerging from conflict on the development of transitional justice mechanisms.

The OHCHR Rule of Law Tools for Post Conflict States are the result of two years of consultations with UN departments and agencies, civil society and national experts. They aim to ensure sustainable, long-term institutional capacity within United Nations field presences and transitional administrations to respond to the demand for policy guidance on transitional justice issues, in line with international human rights standards and best practices.

Based primarily on lessons learned in places like Kosovo, Sierra Leone and Timor Leste, the five policy Tools address the challenges involved in different aspects of transitional justice in post-conflict countries, including assessing whether and how the justice system of the country contributed to the conflict; the prosecution of perpetrators of crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes; the establishment of truth commissions, and the vetting and monitoring of legal systems established after the end of hostilities.

The Tools are the first in a series of rule of law materials to be published by OHCHR. They are currently available in English. One Tool, on truth commissions, is available in French. They will be published in the other UN official languages in the autumn.

The tools are available at the following address: http://www.ohchr.org/english/about/publications/