Rule of law and transitional justice in post-conflict peacebuilding

The Armed Conflict and Conflict Management Programme’s work on the rule of law focuses on local ownership aspects. The project examines how rule-of-law reform efforts during peacebuilding processes can be made more locally owned. It explores the challenges of transferring responsibility for public order and the rule of law after conflict to local ownership. It does so by taking a closer look at the principle of local ownership—a participatory framework through which the needs and views of all stakeholders can be articulated and addressed—and how it can be implemented. The implementation of the local ownership principle, and the transfer of responsibility, have proved to be among the main challenges for efforts to strengthen the rule of law. Several case studies have been used to examine the issue in depth: Bosnia, Kosovo, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste.