At the University of Notre Dame’s Legacy Project, efforts are focused on developing responsive and effective peacemaking and transitional justice policies at both national and international levels. These initiatives are grounded in the insights gained from the Colombian peace process and its Integral System for Peace. Colombia has made significant strides in upholding the rights of victims and clarifying the duties of states and perpetrators, establishing new benchmarks for peacemaking, peacebuilding, and transitional justice worldwide.
Enhancing Global Policy Frameworks
The Legacy Project engages with major multilateral entities and national governments. By providing access to an extensive archive of documents from the Colombian experience, the Project serves as a critical resource for understanding the dynamics and successful strategies of transitional justice and peacebuilding.
Preserving the Legacy of Truth Commissions
The Legacy Project ensures insights and lessons from Colombia’s truth-seeking process are not lost post-mandate as has happened with other truth commissions. By transforming a national heritage into a global resource, the Project aims to help other initiatives use these lessons as a blueprint for their own efforts.
Empirical Research and Policy Development
Drawing on the University of Notre Dame’s vast experience with the Peace Accords Matrix (PAM), the Legacy Project conducts empirical and comparative research that informs policy decisions on a global scale. This effort integrates growing expertise in transitional justice into existing policy networks and expands these networks through broader collaborations, aiming to drive significant changes in how national and international actors approach transitions from war to peace.
Promoting Innovative Policy Approaches
Recent policy innovations concerning ethnic identity, gender, and victim participation in the Colombian peace process have shown encouraging outcomes. By bringing together experts, policymakers, and practitioners, the Legacy Project aims to develop transformative policies that make peace settlements more resilient and responsive to the needs of those disproportionately affected by armed conflict.
Through these diverse initiatives, the Legacy Project enriches the theoretical and practical discourse in transitional justice and translates these insights into actionable policies that foster sustainable peace and justice globally.
