'We need to rediscover a national conversation where we talk more truthfully and listen more intently. Dialogue still has a crucial role in helping to create our dream of a South Africa that is just and reconciled,' Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, IJR patron.
The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) was launched in 2000, in the aftermath of South Africa´s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The aim was to ensure that lessons learnt from South Africa´s transition from apartheid to democracy were taken into account as the nation moved ahead. Today, the Institute helps to build fair, democratic and inclusive societies in Africa through carefully selected engagements and interventions. IJR works in the following regions; South Africa; Zimbabwe; the Great Lakes (Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo); the Great Horn (South Sudan and Uganda); and Kenya. IJR also engages International Justice through key collaborations with the International Criminal Court, the African Union and the Southern African Development Council.
IJR has earned an international reputation for research of the highest quality, bold policy suggestions and in-depth reconciliation work with real impact on the ground. Uncompromising excellence is at the core of our work, and the IJR employs a diverse and professional staff. Tutu is the IJR’s longstanding patron. The organisation has a well-established history of unqualified financial audits and has enjoyed steady growth over the past decade.
IJR regularly hosts dialogues and discussions on society’s most pressing challenges. The organisation’s work with communities at a grassroots level provides in-depth understanding of societies in transition. Among other initiatives, the IJR has led and shaped dialogue on critical issues across Africa; from inclusive economic development and race relations in South Africa to constitutional development in Zimbabwe, justice in post-genocide Rwanda and post-conflict Kenya and restitution for victims of the Northern Ugandan conflict.
Supporting public debate with high quality political and economic data is a key part of the IJR’s business. The South African Reconciliation Barometer and the Transformation Audit – two of IJR’s flagship projects – have grown into definitive sources on social and political trends and inclusive economic development after conflict. IJR reports are regularly by government departments and agencies, business and academic institutions.
IJR’s media presence stretches across a range of South African and international media outlets, including The UK Guardian, Der Spiegel, the Economist, The New York Times, as well as the BBC, National Public Radio (NPR), Radio Netherlands and Al Jazeera.
IJR is committed to sharing lessons derived from its research, analysis and selective interventions through the publication of books and multimedia products. A number of publications are available for free download from the IJR website.
IJR is committed to working in partnerships, and regularly collaborates with the United Nations, African Union, Southern African Development Community, International Criminal Court, African governments and peer organisations.
In 2008, IJR won the coveted United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) International Prize for Peace Education for its part in shaping post-apartheid history education in South Africa. It also recognises the contributions of others to reconciliation and nation-building, through the annual Reconciliation Award. Past winners include South African personalities such as Brigalia Bam, Sibongile Khumalo and PJ Powers, Pieter-Dirk Uys and Albie Sachs, but also a variety of community initiatives as well as young people making a difference in their respective spheres of influence.
To view Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in the Prodder NGO Directory, click here.
