transitional justice research institute - University of Ulster

In August 2007, Professor Fionnuala Ni Aoláin was nominated by the Irish
government as candidate to the vacant Irish judicial position on the European
Court of Human Rights.
Funding Success
The TJI continues to augment and expand its funding for research and collaboration.
Professor William Twining, formerly Quain Professor of Jurisprudence at UCL
until 1996, and currently Professor of Law at the University of Miami Law School
was awarded a Leverhulme Emeritus Professorship in Spring 2007, which will be
exercised at the Transitional Justice Institute during the academic year 2007-08.
Professor Twining was also recently nominated to the American Academy of Arts
and Science. We are delighted that Professor Twining will be spending a portion
of academic year 2007-08 in residence with us.
In 2007 the TJI also had recent funding successes from the British Academy.
Dr Shane Darcy received £7,235 from British Academy for a project on “The
contribution of international and domestic courts to the development of international
humanitairian law”. Furthermore, Dr Elvira Dominguez-Redondo received £6,310
from British Academy for a project on “UN special procedures and the Human
Rights Council: determining the agenda in relation to an empirical study of the effects
of such procedures in India and China” and Dr Kirk Simpson received £1,800 from
British Academy on “Truth Recovery in Northern Ireland: Narratives of the Past”.
Professor Christine Bell was awarded a Social Science Small Grant from the
Nuffield Foundation in 2007. The grant has been received to further develop
a Peace Agreement Database currently under development by Christine Bell
in conjunction with Catherine O’Rourke, (currently Visiting Scholar American
University). The peace agreement database will include a comprehensive list of
peace agreements, and a summary of whether and how they deal with issues
such as prisoner release, dealing with the past, statehood and sovereignty. The
Database will include references to over 600 agreements. It will be made publicly
available on the TJI website.
Policy Praxis
In addition, the TJI moved forward its praxis goals advancing the interface of excellent
and relevant research with important policy initiatives whether with governmental
or non-governmental spheres. In co-operation with Price Waterhouse Coopers
a consortium of specialists including the TJI have been successful in setting
out three framework agreements for the provision of consultancy services in
conflict-affected environments. These cover services in Governance, Justice and
Peace-building; Social Development and Public Administration Reform. These
framework agreements are arrangements that allow government departments
the capacity to provide consultancy services in conflict-affected countries.
Dr. Phil Clark continued to undertake substantive policy interventions, producing
two reports of significant international stature and influence. The first, “Doing Justice
During Conflict: The International Criminal Court, Transitional Justice and Reconciliation
in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda” (2007) was produced for the
Open Society (New York) for the International Criminal Court. The second,
“Making Peace Our Own: Victims’ Perceptions of Accountability, Reconciliation
and Transitional Justice in Northern Uganda”(2007) was produced for the United
Nations and has spread significant light on an unreported post-conflict context
in Northern Uganda. Professor Fionnuala Ni Aoláin has continued to work as a
consultant with the International Center for Transitional Justice on issues related
to post-conflict justice and security for women.
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