ICSC-2024-Annual-Report-Final

ANNUAL REPORT 2024

Celebrating 25 Years of Resistance Through Remembrance

Table of Contents

Letter from the Executive Director.....................................3

2: Civic Spaces Are Necessary Spaces.................16 A. Addressing the Silences: Supporting Sites to Find the Courage to Change 17

2024: The Year in Review Five Lessons Learned about Defending Democracy through the Power of Memory............5 1: History Is Now.....................................................9 A. Museums Strengthening Democracy: Safeguarding Civil Society in a Free Ukraine 10

B. Keeping Memory on the Map in Liberia: Sustaining Survivors After the Spotlight Fades C. Beyond Us vs. Them: Space for Global Conversations and Connections

3: Communities Drive Change..............................25 A. UNITE: Creating Communities of Changemakers 26 B. Dignity in Documentation: Breaking Silences around Sexual Violence in Conflict 29 C. The Power of Partnerships: Stronger Together in Europe and Beyond 33

B. Displaced But Not Forgotten: Amplifying the Experiences and Expertise of Afghan Refugees C. #VoteWithMemory: Catalyzing Civic Participation in Europe

C. Elevating Conversations on Environmental Justice: Exploring the Connection Between Climate Change and Conflict 52 Revenue and Expenses......................................................53 Conclusion. .......................................................................... 54

4: Local Solutions Have Global Impact................35 A. The Making of Atrocities: Developing New Strategies to Defeat Racism 36 B. From Civic Engagement to Concrete Results in Guinea: Empowering Local Activists at the National Level 39 C. Introducing GIJTR 2.0: Building on Remarkable Impact and Reach 42 5: If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress..........................................45 A. Dialogue in a Divided Country: Innovative Approaches to Combating Polarization in the United States 46 B. Making Reparations a Reality: Activating New Avenues to Address the Legacies of Slavery 49

ICSC welcomed over 20 new members in 2024, including the National Museum of Taiwan History (NMTH). Located in Tainan City, the museum strives to present voices and viewpoints that are often overlooked in Taiwanese society. The site is currently working on a three-year project to create a special exhibition about non-citizens in Taiwanese society, including exiled communities, refugees and migrant workers.

Cover photo: A survivor of Guatemala’s Internal Armed Conflict remembers those who were disappeared at a memorial site in Comalapa supported, in part, by the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala, a partner in ICSC’s Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation.

Celebrating 25 Years of Resistance Through Remembrance Letter from the Executive Director

The Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island is a long-term ICSC member. As America’s premier federal immigration station for over 60 years, Ellis Island processed some 12 million immigrant steamship passengers. Today, more than 40 percent of America’s population can trace its ancestry through Ellis Island, and the museum’s exhibits focus on this shared history.

Dear Friends,

Since its founding 25 years ago, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC) has revolutionized the way individuals, communities and governments respond to histories of harm. By breaking silences about past atrocities and systemic injustices, ICSC makes a bolder, better world possible – a world where: Survivors share their own stories, Women and other marginalized groups promote and defend their truths, And perpetrators are held accountable for their crimes.

Over the last 25 years, we have grown our global network to encompass nearly 400 historic sites, museums, memory initiatives and archives in over 80 countries – each dedicated to helping communities confront the past in order to establish more just and equitable tomorrows. These Sites of Conscience are unique spaces, outside of societies’ typical bubbles. They collectively host over 30 million visitors a year from across the political spectrum, in rural areas and cities. With ICSC’s support, they offer critical opportunities for visitors to learn more inclusive histories; to engage in creative programs and productive conversations that foster understanding, compassion and mutual respect; and to celebrate our shared humanity and democratic values.

In 2014, we significantly expanded our impact by launching the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation , which partners with Sites of Conscience and civil society organizations in post-conflict and conflict settings to ensure that the experiences and expertise of survivors are preserved and help shape transitional justice processes. In its first decade, GIJTR has engaged with people from 80 countries, worked with over 800 civil society organizations, supported over 500 community-driven projects, and collected more than 8000 testimonies of human rights violations. As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we are eager to forge ahead knowing there is still so much to do. While the momentum behind this movement for memory has never been greater, a backlash among the many benefitting from historical erasure is in full force. Around the world, cultures are being stripped away, rule of law is being undermined, history books are being rewritten, and, in the U.S., racist markers that were removed following George Floyd’s murder are being reinstalled. Never has it been more urgent to act collectively in support of memory, truth and justice. We’re honored to share highlights from our work in 2024 as well as a range of new initiatives that will ensure our impact continues in the coming years. Your support in these efforts is absolutely crucial. To learn more about our work and how you can join us, please reach out to me directly at esilkes@sitesofconscience.org .

TRANSFORMING TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE: A DECADE OF CHANGE, GROWTH & SUSTAINED IMPACT

A Summary Report 2014–2024

With gratitude,

Read It Now

Elizabeth Silkes

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2024 The Year in Review Five Lessons Learned about Defending Democracy through the Power of Memory When its founders established the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC) in 1999, strengthening democracy was at the heart of their mission and vision. Representing nine historic sites in eight countries including Argentina, Bangladesh, the Czech Republic, England, Russia, Senegal, South Africa and the United States, they knew that in order for democracy to take root, people need to care for it . In ICSC’s founding documents they noted: “[Sites of Conscience have an] obligation to assist the public in drawing connections between the history of [their] sites and their contemporary implications…Stimulating dialogue on pressing social issues and promoting humanitarian and democratic values [is] a primary function.” Twenty-five years later, ICSC is the primary – and often the only – catalyst for democratic civic engagement in countless communities worldwide. By strengthening the capacity of Sites of Conscience and their communities, ICSC works to ensure that citizens from

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center (ETIC) in Sumner, Mississippi joined ICSC in 2024. The Center promotes restorative justice through storytelling and historic preservation, focusing on the 1955 Emmett Till tragedy to foster community healing and understanding to create a more equitable future. In addition to educational programming, ETIC preserves sites connected to the murder of Till – an African American child who was brutally lynched just after his 14th birthday for whistling at a white woman. From 2007 to 2020, ETIC worked to restore the Tallahatchie County Courthouse, the site of the 1955 murder trial of J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant, to its 1955 condition to serve as a site of remembrance. In 2015, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center opened across the street from the courthouse to provide educational programs and tours. ETIC has also erected memorial signs at Graball Landing, the site on the Tallahatchie River where Till’s body was believed to have been recovered in 1955. The sign has been repeatedly vandalized and has been replaced three times. The current sign at the river site, the fourth sign, is bulletproof.

Mississippi to Moscow have the spaces, skills and solidarity they need to tackle urgent threats to democracy, rule of law and peace. As 2024 comes to a close, pervasive threats target the very institutions that should be relied upon to foster equitable and free societies. These include educational systems, where censorship and propaganda prohibit new generations from accessing historical truths; and media outlets, which profit from misinformation and discord so much that over a third of people globally regularly encounter fake or misleading political news, and 39% of Americans have no confidence in media at all. Making matters worse are increased geopolitical tensions, rampant conflicts with deadly consequences for civilians, and disregard among many governments for human rights and international law. In the face of these threats, ICSC is rising to meet the moment, leveraging the power of memory to aid communities in countering historical erasure

Co-hosted with the Department of Justice of the Government of Catalonia, GIJTR’s 10th Anniversary gathering included addresses, panel discussions and interactive sessions to share best practices for centering survivors to support a range of post-conflict needs, including those related to conflict-related sexual violence, documentation

and manipulation of truths by sharing inclusive narratives and supporting systems that help safeguard democratic norms. In 2024, ICSC convened over 90 survivors of conflict, policy makers, civil society representatives and Sites of Conscience representatives to reflect upon findings and impact from the first ten years of our flagship program, the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation (GIJTR), which transforms transitional justice processes by centering the needs of those most affected by conflict: local communities. The organization also welcomed Over 20 new Sites of Conscience members, including many doing groundbreaking work like the Valentine Museum in Virginia, which explores the racist legacy of its founders while working to bring its community together across difference today. And through in-person and virtual programming, ICSC brought together members of its networks to provide the global community with rare opportunities to foster

and truth-telling. The event also featured a

one-of-a-kind exhibition, “Centering Communities,” that displayed art-based memorialization projects created through GIJTR programming by survivors from several contexts, including Colombia, Guinea,

Sri Lanka and displaced Rohingya communities in Bangladesh in order to raise awareness of human rights violations and share their hopes for more peaceful futures.

new perspectives that are conducive to critical reflection, thoughtful collaboration and social empowerment even in the most dire settings, including Israel and Palestine. But we’re not stopping there. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, this report will highlight five lessons we’ve learned over the years about how civil society can protect and strengthen democracy. It will highlight some of ICSC’s transformative programs from this year and showcase new initiatives that are taking our work to new levels of impact. These include an inaugural UNITE academy, supported by the Ford Foundation, that will build the capacity of civil society actors to combat discrimination, environmental injustice and legacies of slavery and colonialism; a cultural exchange and skills building program with Ukrainian museums and heritage sites to fortify that country’s democratic systems; and a new Consortium that will support survivors of conflct-related sexual violence in Africa, Europe and the Middle East to document and share their experiences while pursuing accountability for crimes that so often are ignored in transitional justice processes. Democracy requires great care and attention, and fair and just societies require accessible civic spaces, inclusive networks and a deep understanding of our shared humanity. Sites of Conscience are the spaces where that work is unfolding every day. Learn more about our transformative movement at www.sitesofconscience.org .

Released in April 2024, GIJTR’s podcast, “Transforming Transitional Justice” focuses on rethinking how traditional transitional justice processes after a conflict can better serve the needs of civilians affected by periods of violence and authoritarian regimes. Each episode focuses on common issues that post-conflict communities face, from bolstering communities’ abilities to search for their missing, to documenting violations, to helping victims heal from conflict-related sexual violence. Listen today!

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Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance History Is Now

In the fight for social justice, there is no motivator like memory. As long as an injustice is remembered, it can begin to be righted. This is why ICSC works with thousands of communities each year to preserve and share the memories of the marginalized at individual and collective levels. By remembering and sharing the experiences of those who lived under totalitarianism or its shadow, communities can better identify threats to democracy and the tools they need to safeguard it. Here are just a few ways ICSC is working to make that happen today.

Founded in 1995, the Memorial Centre at Perm-36 – one of ICSC’s founding members – preserved and shared stories from the only surviving camp from Stalin’s gulag era. In 2014, the Russian government removed the Centre from the site and established in its place a state institution that drastically changed the site’s mission, presenting it now as a vital component of the Soviet victory in World War II. Despite this change of events, with support from ICSC, the founders of the original Memorial Centre Perm-36 have developed a virtual museum in its place that can be visited here .

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

History Is Now

Museums Strengthening Democracy: Safeguarding Civil Society in a Free Ukraine

Unlike many civic institutions today, museums and heritage sites are widely considered to be trusted spaces. As such, they are essential to fostering cultures of democracy by providing platforms where communities can examine their past with transparency, develop more inclusive understandings of others, and promote values and systems that support a more just and humane world. In October 2024 ICSC launched Museums Strengthen Democracy , a dynamic cultural exchange and capacity building project to equip ten museums and heritage sites in Ukraine to create programming that promotes social cohesion and democratic values in their communities. “Museums and heritage sites are not simply brick and mortar.

An image taken in 2023 at the State Historical and Cultural Reserve in Romny, Ukraine, who participated in ICSC’s “Building Resilience,” a collaboration with ICOM designed to help Ukrainian museum practitioners develop tools to promote resilience and address trauma with their staff and communities.

They are active spaces that can and should energize the public – in this case, by fos- tering critical thinking and building inclusive narratives in Ukrainian communities.” — Linda Norris, ICSC Senior Specialist of Methodology and Practice

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

History Is Now

The 18-month initiative, which is ffunded by the U.S. State Department’s Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative, will address urgent needs in the country’s museum and heritage field which, despite gains made since independence, still suffers from the effects of Russia’s nearly 70-year rule. Many sites in the country adhere to outdated management and public engagement approaches that position museums as elite places for experts and expertise, rather than for the community. Museums Strengthen Democracy will transform this landscape by building the capacity of these sites to launch transformative projects in their communities that preserve the country’s unique cultural heritage and empower Ukrainians to promote a rights-based future for their country. Focusing primarily on mid-size history, local lore, ethnographic museums and historic sites that are primarily outside of the urban centers like Kyiv and L’viv where most of the country’s resources are centered, the initiative will provide training to address gaps identified by participants such as strengthening critical thinking skills; collections and community engagement; developing community dialogues; and developing theories of change.

Ihor Poshyvailo, Director of the Maidan Museum in Ukraine, holding up a ceramic object found shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, explained to The Guardian , “We try to collect objects that tell symbolic and emotional stories, symbols of the te rror and of resistance.” Mr. Poshyvailo will serve on Museums Strengthen Democracy ’s advisory committee of Ukrainian museum and heritage professionals who inform the project’s curriculum and implementation.

Once the training is complete, ICSC will provide catalytic financial support for project participants to design and implement public-facing civic engagement projects – such as exhibitions, public dialogues and other programming – that foster social cohesion and respect for inclusion and democratic values.

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

History Is Now

Throughout the initiative, participants will be supported by a network of Ukrainian and American museum and heritage professionals who will assist in the project’s implementation. In addition, each participant will be paired with an innovative, experienced Sites of Conscience mentor in the United States for the project’s duration. Virtual learning opportunities and exchanges will be augmented by in-person exchanges, including a five-day exchange in Washington, D.C., where project participants, mentors and ICSC staff will exchange knowledge and visit U.S. museums and heritage sites to explore how critical thinking about the past can advance social justice today. A final, culminating meeting in Poland will bring together participants, mentors and Sites of Conscience from Central and Eastern Europe to reflect on lessons learned and identify key priorities for strengthening Ukrainian museums’ role in building a healthy and thriving democracy in Ukraine. Museums Strengthen Democracy will also produce a range of knowledge-sharing products, such as webinars, toolkits, videos and recommendations to be disseminated to the broader field.

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Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

History Is Now

Displaced But Not Forgotten: Amplifying the Experiences and Expertise of Afghan Refugees

Forced displacement is on the rise in all parts of the world. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency , more than 117 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2023 as a result of war, violence, human rights violations, or political, ethnic, gender or religious persecution. Afghan refugees continue to make up one of the largest displaced populations in the world – with nearly 11 million currently displaced within the country or in neighboring Iran, Pakistan,

Project participants gathered for a three-day meeting in February 2024 in Berlin, Germany to strengthen their alliance and discuss further collaboration among the diaspora and across communities nationally, regionally and internationally.

Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. With the return to power of the Taliban and their deliberate attacks on minorities, women, human rights defenders, journalists and civil society actors, millions of Afghans have been forced to flee the country, many for the second or third times in their life. While many displaced Afghans suffer from trauma, they also remain physically at risk and lack access to shelter, food and other basic services. Further, with deteriorating socio-political, economic and security situations in host countries, displaced Afghans suffer exclusion and discrimination. Persecution on the grounds of ethno-religious and gender identity has been a key dimension of this displacement trend.

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

History Is Now

In response to this dire situation, in 2024 ICSC partnered with member site the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO) to implement a documentation and memorialization initiative that advances the rights of forcibly displaced victims from Afghanistan and promotes democratic values. The ten-month project strengthened the capacity of 20 civil society organizations (CSOs) working on human rights, transitional justice and forced displacement in Afghanistan and globally to foster inclusive and victim-centered documentation and memorialization initiatives that amplify the voices and needs of the forcibly displaced and equip them to take part in transitional justice processes and advocacy efforts. In addition, the project provided financial and programmatic support to eight of the CSOs to create programs designed to address urgent issues facing forcibly displaced communities. Among others, these initiatives included the collection and documentation of testimonies of human rights violations against the Hazara community; the production of podcasts that shared the lived experiences of displaced Afghan LGBTQI+ people; and ten art workshops for Afghan children living in Turkey designed to support their mental health and well-being by easing their emotional distress and nurturing a sense of safety and community with others in their situation. In fall 2024, participants published “In Their Own Voice, Manual for Inclusive and Victim-Centered Documentation and Memorialization of Forced Displacement,” to share best practices and lessons learned from the project with global activists, practitioners and policy makers. To learn more about the project, and access the toolkit, which is available in seven languages, click here .

To foster networking between the meeting’s participants and Berlin-based organizations working on forced displacement, ICSC and AHRDO also organized an event, “Addressing Trauma in the Context of Forced Displacement,” that brought together 50 organizational representatives and served as a platform for sharing experiences and best practices on mental health and psychosocial care of forcibly displaced populations.

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Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

History Is Now

#VoteWithMemory: Catalyzing Civic Participation in Europe In June 2024, millions of citizens had the opportunity to participate in the tenth European Parliamentary election . In the face of a global rise in violent extremism, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience launched a digital campaign to remind the public that voting represents the most direct way to influence this European institution that has tremendous influence in the region and in many of today’s most pressing global challenges, including escalating conflicts, the polarization of societies, the climate crisis, human rights violations and persistent economic inequalities. Called #VoteWithMemory, the campaign showcased how learning from European history can help communities find solutions to current crises and prevent their escalation and repetition. The campaign specifically highlighted the importance of addressing root causes of conflicts; building inclusive narratives that promote dialogue across difference; and defending free speech, media independence and pluralism.

The 27-day campaign reached over 13,000 people on social media and produced an open letter that garnered signatures from people in 20 countries. Along with advocating the messages above, the letter encouraged voter participation and called on citizens and institutions from both inside and outside the European Union to urge Members of the European Parliament to confront religious, ethnic and gender discrimination, and prioritize social justice and labor rights for all.

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Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Civic Spaces Are Necessary Spaces

Confronting histories of harm is difficult work that seldom happens without a dedicated plan and a safe space for exploring challenging topics. For millions of citizens the world over, Sites of Conscience are those spaces. Often they are historic sites – former detention centers, assassination sites, concentration camps – that use the power of memory to remind communities of the need to defend democratic values and prioritize our shared humanity. Other times, when physical sites may not be accessible, Sites of Conscience foster this connection between past and present in museums, community centers and even virtual spaces. Whatever the location, ICSC supports them and their community partners to develop groundbreaking programs – like those highlighted here – to help visitors use the lessons of history to become more inclusive, compassionate and resilient. At a moment when schools and other learning spaces are under attack or facing restrictions on curricula, Sites of Conscience preserve not only history, but their communities’ ability to think critically and share perspectives in thoughtful and unbiased ways.

The Pauli Murray Center , a Site of Conscience in Durham, North Carolina, remembers and shares the remarkable story of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, a trailblazing human rights activist, legal scholar, feminist, poet, author, Episcopal priest and labor organizer. The site recently responded to increasingly restrictive DEI legislation in the state by creating a teaching fellowship to train educators on social justice and equity centered classroom techniques.

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Civic Spaces are Neccessary Spaces

Addressing the Silences: Supporting Sites to Find the Courage to Change In these polarized times, when active conflict, mass migration and hate crimes abound, it can be easy to fall into “us vs. them” mindsets. Knowing just how dangerous this dichotomy can be, ICSC works to support Sites of Conscience to become more inclusive and reflective in their own practices – to become models of continuous, positive change in their communities. Through its three-year Addressing the Silences project, which began in late 2022, ICSC is supporting 13 North American member sites to examine their own historic role in perpetuating injustice and to explore how they instead might foster social cohesion today. Supported by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, ICSC’s Methodology and Training team has been guiding the sites through virtual and in-person trainings in a three-pronged process involving: • Reflection , during which participating sites systematically identify and develop a comprehensive understanding of the absences in representation in their operations, collections and programs; • Correction , wherein sites work alongside community partners to design and implement actions to amend these absences, including those that involve board restructuring, internship programs, advisory committees and hiring practices. • Collaborative Transformation , which positions sites for the long-term to collect, share and amplify stories with their communities that had been previously excluded from their site’s narratives, as well as foster dialogue and social cohesion both inside and outside the museum..

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Civic Spaces are Neccessary Spaces

Addressing the Silences Participating Members

In 2024, each of the ten sites worked hand in hand with community partners to correct absences they had identified. This collaborative process has resulted in profound change among both the sites’ practices and programming. For instance, the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society and Museum of the Ironworker , a Site of Conscience in Maryland, partnered with the Catoctin Furnace African American Skilled Ironworker Descendants Group to connect with descendants of enslaved and free African Americans buried at the historic site. The site recently installed new acrylic panels that help visitors better imagine slave quarters on the landscape, and is working towards co-stewardship of the site with identified descendants. In another instance, the Michigan History Center and the Michigan State University Chicano Latino Studies Department created a new paid internship program to increase Latino student professional development opportunities and expand stories and research of Latino history. Additionally they created a staff book club and other staff learning opportunities to expand their knowledge of Latino history and culture.

Catoctin Furnace Historical Society , Maryland

Illinois State Museum , Illinois John Dickenson Plantation , Delaware Michigan History Center , Michigan Oakwood Cemetery Chapel , Texas Old Bakery & Emporium , Texas Sheldon Jackson Museum , Alaska

Chinese Historical Society of America , California Elizabet Ney Museum , Texas Hermann-Grima + Gallier Historic House , Louisiana Historic Stagville , North Carolina Historical Museum at Fort Missoula , Montana

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Civic Spaces are Neccessary Spaces

The Elisabet Ney Museum , a Site of Conscience in Texas and an Addressing the Silences project participant, has partnered with a refugee collective to expand its arts programming at various forums, from public

In the summer of 2024, ICSC and project participants hosted a three-part webinar series to share lessons learned from the project. Through these platforms, participants were able to share their challenges and strategies for developing trust with community partners, reflect upon what “sharing power” truly means in practice and address internal resistance to change, among many other topics. As an organization that prioritizes knowledge sharing, ICSC has made the webinars available on its YouTube channel , where they were viewed nearly 200 times in the two months following their release. The project will conclude with production of a toolkit in 2025 to help even more organizations catalyze change in the years to come.

events to local news cooking segments. Interestingly, the Museum began the project thinking that language was their biggest barrier, but an incident during a bonding activity in which the site and the collective visited another museum changed their perspective. During the visit, one of the women refugees touched a textile display and was quickly admonished for it by a staff member. Understandably, the refugee was startled – she had never been to a museum before. At that moment, the Site of Conscience decided to prioritize creating a more welcoming environment for immigrants and refugees at the museum.

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Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Civic Spaces are Neccessary Spaces

Keeping Memory on the Map in Liberia: Sustaining Survivors After the Spotlight Fades Between 1989 and 2003, the civil war in Liberia resulted in an estimated 150,000-250,000 deaths, or roughly ten percent of the population, and the displacement of over half the country’s citizens. The 2003 Comprehensive Peace Agreement called for the creation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to examine the root causes of the war, assess the human rights violations that occurred and make recommendations to support and rehabilitate victims. Over the course of three years, the TRC collected close to 20,000 victim and witness statements, identified nearly 200 mass graves and issued a final report in 2009 that called for the establishment of an Extraordinary Criminal Court for Liberia with the power to prosecute alleged perpetrators.

Marcus P. Quoigoah, a massacre survivor, shares his experience during the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Massacre, at an ICSC needs assessment in July 2024.

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Civic Spaces are Neccessary Spaces

Despite the promise of the TRC, in the 15 years since its report, political will in Liberia to implement its recommendations has been limited, particularly relating to prosecutions, sanctions, reparations and memorialization. This is a common problem in post-conflict settings – one that ISCS’s Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation (GIJTR) seeks to counteract by equipping survivors and their allies with the tools and platforms they need to advance justice and healing initiatives when national or political entities fail to do so. To this end, in June 2024, GIJTR began a one-year project in Liberia focused on enhancing the capacity of survivor groups to pursue transitional justice in the country, specifically in the areas of memorialization, digital archiving, forensics investigations and psychosocial support. The project seeks to complement the War and Economic Crimes Court, which was established by Liberian president Joseph Boakai in May 2024 in a historic and long-awaited move. With the support of local partner, the Peters Lutheran Church Massacre Survivors Association (LUMASA), GIJTR conducted a needs assessment in July 2024, meeting with over 70 individuals representing over a dozen CSOs and government ministry offices as well as survivors of the “Lutheran Massacre,” one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s history in which the Armed Forces of Liberia murdered approximately 600 unarmed men, women and children who had sought refuge at a Red Cross shelter.

With local partner, LUMASA, part of ICSC’s focus in Liberia will be on conducting forensics assessments to facilitate reunification of remains to families of those killed.

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Civic Spaces are Neccessary Spaces

Based on findings from these consultations, in the coming months, working hand in hand with local, grassroots organizations, GIJTR will support three primary goals in the country: 1. Create spaces for survivors to share their experiences of human rights violations through a do no harm approach that includes access to mental health and psychosocial support services; 2. Promote broad engagement of civil society in forensics investigations, including awareness raising around searches for the missing and disappeared and exhumations of mass-graves; and 3. Strengthen advocacy efforts in partnership with victims and survivors by creating opportunities for storytelling and the sharing of experiences through grass-roots community initiatives. “Informal transitional justice processes are just as important as formal ones. In order for truth and justice to take hold after conflict, survivors and communities must be positioned to take leading roles in their country’s future. The needs of survivors for rehabilitation and support remain urgent in Liberia. This assessment highlights the necessity for sustained and compassionate funding to ensure justice and peace for the long-term.” — Ereshnee Naidu, Senior Director for the Global Transitional Justice Initiative at ICSC

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Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Civic Spaces are Neccessary Spaces

Beyond Us vs. Them: Holding Space for Global Conversations and Connections

Over a year after the October 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian armed groups, and Israel’s subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank – which, as of November 2024, has resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis and more than 41,000 Palestinians – societies around the world are more fractured over the situation than ever before. In this context, increasing violence and rampant hate speech are making productive dialogue, let alone lasting peace, feel unattainable.

The situation in Israel and Palestine raises many questions that connect with the work of Sites of Conscience: How has the use of memory become a source of conflict? How does structural racism inform atrocities and shape societies’ response to mass violations? How are cultural heritage and memory a central part of the attacks on Gaza and the West Bank, and in other conflicts? And how can Sites of Conscience foster critical reflection and dialogue in settings of extreme suffering, loss and trauma, while also calling for the protection and observance of human rights and the respect for international law, like the International Court of Justice rulings on January 26, 2024 and July 19, 2024 ?

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Civic Spaces are Neccessary Spaces

To begin to explore these questions collectively, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience will host a series of conversations entitled “Beyond Us vs. Them: Why Memory Matters in Gaza and Beyond,” that will be made available on ICSC’s Youtube channel in late 2024. Informed by the work of ICSC’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Sites of Conscience Network – which aims to preserve memory, promote truth, pursue justice and foster reconciliation – the series will feature six conversations between ICSC staff and activists, academics and human rights practitioners directly engaged in this context. Each conversation will make efforts to connect the challenges in this context with those experienced by others in different regions, laying the groundwork for a concluding live global webinar that will feature a panel of Sites of Conscience members from Brazil, South Africa, Northern Ireland and elsewhere. The live webinar, which is scheduled for January 2025, will share how members have approached resonant issues and will be open to the public. For more information, please check our events page .

All ICSC webinars are available on our website, and many additional videos can be found on ICSC’s YouTube page . Subscribe today!

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Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance Communities Drive Change The Sites of Conscience movement is and has always been community-led. ICSC has seen through its work that transformation must be rooted and cultivated locally in order to grow to its full potential. To support its members in fostering positive change, ICSC provides grants and training designed to strengthen the capacity of Sites of Conscience to form trusted and equitable relationships with their community members, unique bonds that help ensure all stories, even those historically marginalized, are preserved and shared. In addition to this one-on-one member support, ICSC is expanding its wider efforts to bolster support for democratic norms and the rule of law by launching new academies and other programs designed to equip a global cadre of survivors, activists, academics and civil society organizations to protect and promote historical truths in the service of human rights and social justice around the world today – essentially activating a Global Conscience Corps.

A guide leads a tour of Casa de la Memoria “Kaji Tulam” for ICSC’s Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation. The Site of Conscience preserves narratives related to Guatemala’s history of oppression, structural problems and also the resistance of those who lived in the past and those who inhabit the land today. Young students, as shown here, lead most of the tours at the site.

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Communities Drive Change

UNITE: Creating Communities of Changemakers

Over the last decade, the world has seen an unprecedented rise in violent conflicts and mass human rights violations , resulting in more than a quarter of the world’s population living in conflict-affected environments. At the same time, the World Health Organization reports that 3.6 billion people reside in areas highly susceptible to climate change. Impoverished and marginalized people are disproportionately bearing the brunt of these crises, as they have for generations. In October 2024, with generous support from the Ford Foundation, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience launched UNITE, a global academy designed to equip nearly 100 human rights activists the world over with new skills, connections and financial support to lift up and counter the historic inequities at the root of cycles of conflict, climate injustice and systemic discrimination.

UNITE draws on ICSC’s experience facilitating ten previous academies that trained over 120 activists in the fields of transitional justice, forensics and media advocacy to lead powerful human rights initiatives in their communities. Here, participants in ICSC’s African Youth Transitional Justice Academy take part in a dialogue facilitation workshop in Rwanda in 2019. The academy empowered ten youth activists and civil society actors from seven countries in Africa to raise awareness of issues related to memory, justice and reconciliation.

Through UNITE academies, ICSC will position activists to carry out memory, truth and

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Communities Drive Change

justice programs in their home communities through skills building. This phase of UNITE will explore three primary threads: 1) how the legacies of colonialism and slavery manifest as systemic racism today; 2) how histories of domination and exclusion related to Indigenous rights, land rights and economic rights connect to the disproportionate impact of climate change on poor and marginalized communities; and 3) how amplifying historically silenced narratives of women, victims, racial and ethnic minorities and other excluded communities can counter the extremism and discrimination so prevalent in contemporary societies. The academy will bring together human rights defenders from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and ethnic and racial minority groups in Europe and North America to learn from and with one another. By providing training and mentoring, ICSC will equip participants with new skills to develop context-specific, victim-centered and gender responsive memory initiatives in their local communities. In addition, financial and programmatic support will be provided to all participants to develop relevant pilot initiatives in their communities, such as exhibitions, advocacy campaigns, policy change initiatives and oral

“At the Ford Foundation, we are steadfast in our belief that those closest to the problems are the ones who hold the keys to impactful and lasting solutions. UNITE is a bold initiative that recognizes the value of empowering the next generation of leaders to tackle the intersecting crises, from racial and gender discrimination to climate change, that they face firsthand. By grounding these young leaders in the experiences and context they need to think critically, we can better find innovative solutions for change, because we can’t achieve a brighter future without first learning our lessons from the past.”

— Juliet Mureriwa, Senior Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, one of UNITE’s inaugural funders

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Communities Drive Change

history collection. These projects will not only improve participants’ practical skills, but engage over 2000 people globally in causes that raise awareness of and avenues for action on urgent social and climate justice concerns. Each pilot will be developed to be replicable and scalable to maximize impact long into the future. “ICSC’s success in catalyzing effective global action is grounded in its commitment to and respect for local knowledge,” explains Executive Director Elizabeth Silkes. “Communities suffer from the legacies of historic oppression in different ways, from entrenched racism to climate injustice, so solutions must be tailored to each local context in order to be both effective and sustainable.” Drawing on ICSC’s singular network of historic sites, museums and archives in more than 80 countries, UNITE will create an unparalleled learning community that allows human rights defenders to learn from others facing similar struggles, and will offer them the strength and solidarity that comes from being a part of a global movement for memory, truth and justice.

ICSC has supported hundreds of community-based pilot projects around the world to preserve and share the narratives of marginalized groups. These dolls were made by survivors of the civil war in Colombia in honor of their missing loved ones. Within each doll is a recording sharing the survivor’s story. The dolls were exhibited throughout the country to increase awareness and break silences surrounding the war.

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Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Communities Drive Change

Dignity in Documentation: Breaking Silences around Sexual Violence in Conflict With the rise in armed conflicts around the world comes a significant increase in conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). While the stigma surrounding these crimes means they are vastly underreported, their prevalence is unquestionably widespread and varied. One in three women in northern Uganda are victims of CRSV, including through forced marriage and rape. In Haiti , political instability and gang violence have left 88% of displaced women without any income, prompting over 10% of them to consider or engage in sex work to make ends meet. And the impact of CRSV on men and boys is increasingly evident in conflict settings such as Ukraine, where it is estimated that only 25 percent of CRSV cases against men are reported. No matter the context, the impact of these violations is long-lasting and survivors’ needs – including medical and reproductive care, psychosocial and reintegration services, and access to justice and reparations – are many and

“For too long, survivors of conflict- related sexual violence have been sidelined – silenced by stigma and shame, and also by outdated, if well-intentioned, aid mechanisms that eclipse their agency. The Dignity in Documentation Initiative aims to change that by equipping survivors with the skills they need to advocate for their rights, document their stories, and advance informal and formal transitional justice processes in their communities.”

— Ereshnee Naidu, Senior Director for the Global Transitional Justice Initiative at ICSC

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Communities Drive Change

change over time. Despite this, comprehensive support systems for CRSV victims are rare and, when available, so fragmented and onerous that they offer little relief and even risk retraumatization. In response to this gap, in October 2024, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience launched the Dignity in Documentation Initiative (DIDI), a global, six-partner consortium focused on addressing the holistic needs of CRSV survivors and ensuring dignity in documenting CRSV violations for the pursuit of justice, truth and healing. Whereas efforts to address CRSV have traditionally prioritized international frameworks and incremental aid – leaving victims and survivors with little opportunity to shape or assess initiatives conceived for their benefit – DIDI is a coordinated, multidisciplinary effort to empower and sustain locally led programs that partner directly with those affected.

Rohingya women gather at an ICSC psychosocial support workshop in a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. As a Consortium of six global partners – each with their own substantial networks – DIDI has trusted connections to over 500 civil society organizations working directly with survivors in all regions of the world.

In addition to ICSC, the DIDI Consortium includes the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (South Africa), the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation (Netherlands, Central African Republic, Ukraine and Burundi); Justice Rapid Response (USA and Switzerland); Legal Action Worldwide (Switzerland); and Synergy for Justice (USA). Additionally, the Consortium will draw on the skills and capacity of consulting partner organizations: All Survivors Project , Partners in Justice International , and International Institute for Criminal Investigations .

Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance

Communities Drive Change

Through its flagship program, the Global Initiative for Justice Truth and Reconciliation, ICSC has worked alongside

By centering the needs, priorities and knowledge of survivors and the grassroots organizations working alongside them, the Dignity in Documentation Initiative advances holistic and integrated approaches that improve upon current approaches to CRSV documentation and also bolster societies’ capacities to respond to legacies of CRSV, the root causes that underlie it and gender based inequity and sexual violence more generally. Inclusive of women and girls; men and boys; and survivors with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), DIDI supports activities that: 1. Provide mental health and psychosocial support services to CRSV survivors; 2. Enhance local capacities to investigate, document and prosecute cases of CRSV in a manner that is trauma-informed and meets international standards for criminal accountability and transitional justice processes; 3. Engage survivors in restorative truth-telling, memorialization and awareness-raising initiatives that assist their recovery and combat stigma around CRSV;

CRSV survivors in Bangladesh, Colombia, The

Gambia and several other contexts to help preserve and share their experiences. In this photo, two woman participate in a GIJTR arts-based truth-telling project in Guinea, where in 2009 armed forces brutally attacked a pro-democracy rally, in which at least 156 people were killed and over 109 women and girls were victims of rape and other forms of sexual violence.

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