Important step forward’ - Transitional Justice enters Academy of Justice’s training programme [1]
In recognition of the significance of Transitional Justice, the topic will be included in the official training programme of Kosovo’s Academy of Justice for the first time ever.
The decision was made during the Academy’s workshop to draft its Continuing Training Programme for 2026 last week. The discussions held during the workshop focused on matching the programme to the needs of judges, prosecutors, and other legal professionals, in alignment with the priorities of Kosovo’s judicial and prosecutorial system.
UNMIK’s Head of Human Rights Office Jerome Bouyjou welcomed the development and underlined the importance of covering the five pillars of Transitional Justice in trainings: Justice, Truth, Reparations, Memorialization, and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence. These pillars are specifically outlined in both the 2024-2034 Kosovo Transitional Justice Strategy and the UN Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Transitional Justice: A Strategic Tool for People, Prevention and Peace [3].
This step is in line with efforts by the NGO Integra, with support from UNMIK, to strengthen the capacity of Kosovo’s justice sector professionals to engage effectively in transitional justice processes, ensuring accountability, safeguarding human rights, and fostering long-term institutional change through a victim-centered approach.
What is Transitional Justice?
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says transitional justice covers the full range of processes and mechanisms associated with a society’s attempt to come to terms with a legacy of large-scale past conflict, repression, violations and abuses, in order to ensure accountability, serve justice and achieve reconciliation.
It aims to provide recognition to victims, enhance the trust of individuals in institutions, reinforce respect for human rights and promote the rule of law, as a step towards reconciliation and the prevention of new violations.