NEW YORK - Inequality, exclusion, and lack of justice fuel and exacerbate violence, said the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Bernard Duhaime, in his new report to the General Assembly today.
"Now is the time for States to confront structural socioeconomic and cultural injustices to build lasting peace," Duhaime said.
In his report, the Special Rapporteur said that countries emerging from conflict or authoritarian rule must confront a legacy of grave human rights violations, and urged States not to overlook the deeper, structural wounds that fuel and prolong violence.
"Too often, efforts to address past abuses have focused narrowly on civil and political rights - particularly the right to life and physical integrity - while overlooking that gross violations to the rights to livelihoods, to health, to food, or to cultural rights often lie at the root of violence," the expert said.
"In most conflicts, these rights are blatantly violated," he said. From attacks on food distribution sites to the targeting of hospitals and health workers, to systemic restrictions to women and girls' access to education, Duhaime warned that failing to address these harms denies victims the recognition and justice they deserve, and makes sustainable peace more difficult to achieve.
The Special Rapporteur acknowledged encouraging steps by some States that have started to integrate economic, social, and cultural rights into their transitional justice efforts, and called for broader and bolder action across all five pillars of transitional justice.
"Transitional justice must address gross violations of economic, social and cultural rights with the same seriousness as violations of civil and political rights if it is to be effective," he said.
The expert stressed that truth-seeking commissions should have the mandate and resources to investigate abuses, sanctioning and redressing gross violations vigorously, ensuring meaningful participation of marginalised communities, and involving experts from fields such as economics, environmental science, and public health.
Duhaime also called for robust, effective participation of victims, in particular women, and civil society.
"Without victim participation, transitional justice risks failing those it aims to serve," he said. "A holistic, inclusive and structural transformation demand that the perspectives and needs of those most affected be prioritised."
"Ultimately, transitional justice is not just about addressing the past. It's about building a future rooted in dignity, equality, and justice for all," the Special Rapporteur said.
