GIJTR supports over 85 Guinean CSO representatives, survivors, religious leaders and journalists, and has funded several high-impact memorialization projects, including survivor databases; oral histories; and portraits depicting human rights abuses committed against young people during pro-democracy protests, among others. Resources that emerged from these projects are stored in an online archive, ensuring a digital repository is accessible to students, researchers, survivors and CSOs interested in transitional justice issues in Guinea. Survivors Driving Change Through Advocacy With GIJTR’s support, CONAREG’s efforts have opened channels of dialogue among survivors, religious leaders, activists, youth and others. This has helped avert violent confrontations with security forces around contentious elections. Further, it has allowed survivors of human rights violations, whose stories were previously silenced, to access psychosocial support services, find solidarity with others and share their experiences through creative truth-telling and memory projects. For Guinean youth, these first-person encounters with survivors have played an important role in educating them about past violations—which are not taught in school—while offering them opportunities to act as agents of positive social change in their communities.
THE SOLUTION: Over the years, GIJTR effectively strengthened the capacity of these groups to work together—often across ideological and geographic divides—on transitional justice and advocacy. Further, it supported the creation of a vibrant network of CSOs, CONAREG, or the National Coalition in Support of Reconciliation in Guinea, which works in support of reconciliation in Guinea. CONCRETE RESULTS: Today, CONAREG advocates for a holistic national reconciliation process in Guinea and raises awareness on the links between past human rights abuses and contemporary violence prevention risk factors with relevant actors, such as journalists and religious leaders. Additionally, CONAREG advocates with state authorities for the creation of a truth commission and other transitional justice mechanisms, and, as a result, the leaders of two local project partners have been named to Guinea’s National Commission for Reconciliation. With lessons learned from The Gambia, CONAREG also effectively monitors the country’s Stadium Massacre trial, which began in September 2022, to share information on key developments in the trial with the public, combat misinformation and advocate for increased accessibility and security measures to be taken on
behalf of survivors. Indeed, the very existence of the trial process, initiated some 13 years after violations were committed, is a testament to the dedication, persistence and courage of the local project partners, who have advocated tirelessly for justice on behalf of the victims and survivors. “Before GIJTR came to Guinea we were working with some other partners. But to be honest, what we have learned from GIJTR is more…The time they took to learn and to share with us, no other international organization has done that before… The main difference is that GIJTR’s strategy was to make us independent, not to depend on them. They want to give us the tools, the materials, and to help us to realize our objectives.” —Local partner, Guinea “The project allowed for a synergy of action between peace actors who were operating in scattered roles. Local civil society organizations and local practitioners working on issues of social cohesion found a catalyst in this project for joint action in favor of peace and reconciliation.” —Guinean survivor and GIJTR workshop participant “The creation of networks and coalitions allows us to act together and to engage in a common struggle, which is very important to achieve a synergy of action.” —Local partner, Guinea
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GIJTR’s Impact In Depth: Civil Society
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