The initiative

The Peace and Justice Initiative (PJI) is a network of international criminal law professionals. Our legal, investigative and military experts have experience of working in the whole spectrum of international and mixed courts and tribunals. PJI is registered as an NGO under Dutch law and has charitable status (ANBI status).

Our aim is to encourage and support legal redress for atrocity crimes such as crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, aggression, terrorism, and torture.

The Peace and Justice Initiative is a network of international criminal law professionals, comprising:

  • lawyers
  • investigators and analysts
  • military experts and analysts
  • academics

If you would like to join the Peace and Justice Initiative, please fill out this form and email it to us at join@peaceandjusticeinitiative.org.

The vision behind the network

International criminal law has undergone rapid growth in recent years through the work of the ad hoc Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda (ICTY and ICTR), the International Criminal Court (ICC) and mixed and other tribunals and courts such as those in Cambodia and Sierra Leone. The Peace and Justice Initiative harnesses the collective experience of the professionals, who have conducted the investigation, analysis and legal proceedings in these fora. That experience and the studies of academics in this field are focused on enabling the effective investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, aggression, terrorism, torture, and other atrocities.

Our goals broadly align with:

(1) the Complementarity Resolution adopted at the ICC Review Conference on 8 June 2010:

  • Enhancing the capacity of national jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute serious crimes of international concern – para.8
  • enhance the capacity of national jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute serious crimes of international concern

and

(2) the Cooperation Resolutions adopted by the Assembly of State Parties on 26 November 2009 and 20 December 2011:

  • Developing a framework of action for the adoption of national legislation and best practices by States Parties on implementation – para.16(d) of 26 November 2009 Resolution and see para 4 of December 2011 Resolution.
  • Strengthening the rule of law to develop domestic capacities for prosecutions of the core crimes – para. 16(j) of 26 November 2009 Resolution.