The conference curriculum will be composed of panel modules that will take place throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday. Each addresses a unique aspect of the peace process, drawing in academics, professionals, and community organizers to closely examine the intricacies of creating peaceful societies. From responses to psychological trauma to the construction of physical infrastructure for equitable settlements, these panels provide something for everyone. If you can’t make it to all of them, be sure to come out to a couple that interest you and explore some of the interdisciplinary components of peace.
Retribution and Restoration: A Question of Justice
What do non-retributive approaches to justice have to offer in the 21st Century? What are the implications of justice at the community level both for international law and peacebuilding at the local level? What do truth and reconciliation commissions have to offer in the context of ongoing endemic conflict? Justice is increasingly being tied to local practices, whether in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, which has brought the administration of international law to the local level, or in Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee, which has shown that minimal resources can be highly effective at influencing the local reality. Fighting impunity through grassroots approaches is the order of the day, whether in Northern Uganda or in Sierra Leone.
This topic will focus on pragmatic applications of justice at the local level, tying in international law, grassroots activism, non-retributive approaches to justice, and gender issues. It will critically explore the idea of justice as an integral part of achieving peace. It will also assess the potential role of local approaches to justice as both complementary and supplementary to international law. Specific issues may include reconciliation with Canada’s aboriginal population, the consequences of amnesty initiatives, implementation of non-retributive approaches to justice, and education and reconciliation initiatives to address conflict-related trauma, overcoming impunity, and engendering the rule of law.
