By Politico Staff Writer
The Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) has approved a total amount of $2.6 million in sub-grants and legacy projects. A total of $1,555,000 will support 15 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to advance transitional justice initiatives across 16 West African countries.
Also, a statement issued by ATJLF indicated that the sum of $750,000 (seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars) has been earmarked for a set of legacy-worthy projects that include organizational capacity building for ATJLF grantees, and an additional $375,000 (three hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars) set aside for collaboration with regional and continental bodies.
It stated that a priority for this final funding round is sustainable interventions in Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Northeast Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia as the organization enters its Legacy Phase, building on six years of impactful work and culminating in its sunset at the end of 2026.
The grant awards criteria according to ATJLF, gave priority to interventions that support institutional Transitional Justice (TJ) initiatives, as well as those that have the potential to increase survivors’ agency and community-based partners’ capacity to advance policy and other goals, such as the prevention of egregious human rights violations from happening again.
Rather than providing smaller one-year grants as it had in past funding cycles, ATJLF decided to provide fewer partners with more substantial financial and technical support through two-year awards in the Legacy Phase.
“This is intended to strengthen ATJLF's commitment, optimize the potential for impact amplification, and foster organizational strengthening as a crucial element of the long-term sustainability of the crucial transitional justice movement,” part of the statement reads.
To guarantee the successful development and execution of the African Union Transnational Justice Policy (AUTJP) and sub-regional policies and programs, the organization also seeks to strengthen its cooperation with the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The ATJLF has assisted with initiatives that place victims and survivors at the forefront of community-level truth-seeking, reconciliation, and innovative forms of restitution in Guinea, the Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Northeastern Nigeria. Sub-grantees have implemented national advocacy and documentation projects in Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and the Gambia to promote the AUTJP’s acceptance and popularization.
The enactment of the Victims Reparations Bill, the creation of a hybrid court in the Gambia, and the establishment of a War Crimes Court in Liberia are among the outcomes of this intervention.
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