Training on Transitional Justice mechanisms processes

The Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) organized a five-day training on Transitional Justice mechanisms processes in Chapter V of R-ARCSS 2018 & the African Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP). The training took place from June 20th to June 23rd, 2023 at Crown Hotel in Juba, South Sudan, with financial support from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Human Rights Division. The theme of the training was “Understanding AU Transitional Justice Policy as South Sudan’s obligation.” 40 Participants included youth association leaders, women leaders, journalists, CSOs, officials from UNMISS, and the African Union.

The training aims to encourage youth involvement in developing and executing transitional justice mechanisms in South Sudan. The specific objectives are as follows:

1. Enhance youth comprehension of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy.
2. Increase the number of transitional justice experts in South Sudan by providing training to young individuals.
3. Establish a State Youth Platform on transitional justice to facilitate experience sharing and capacity building.
4. Strengthen youth participation in existing transitional justice programs in AU Member States.
5. Implement the African Union’s Youth for Transitional Justice in Africa (AUTJP) initiative.

A majority of South Sudanese youth are in need of training in the African Union’s Youth for Transitional Justice in Africa (AUTJP) and other transitional justice mechanisms as outlined in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. We appeal to well-wishers and donors to support us in order to continue training South Sudanese youth leaders and civil society organizations to take ownership of the AUTJP.

Although there is no universal definition of youth, the African Youth Charter defines youth as individuals between the ages of 15 and 35. This age group makes up a significant portion of Africa’s population. In line with the African Union’s perspective, this project will consider individuals between the ages of 18 and 35 as youth on the continent. According to this definition, youth constitute 70% of Africa’s population. Therefore, it is essential to include African youth in the transitional justice processes in Africa. With this aim in mind, the African Union Commission will implement a program called ”African Youth for Transitional Justice” (AY4TJ). This program aims to provide training on transitional justice, with a focus on the African Transitional Justice Policy, to young people. The plan is to train hundreds of youths across African Union Member States, prioritizing post-conflict and post-authoritarian countries, as well as those currently engaged in transitional justice programs.