The Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) has announced $2.68 million support for civil society organizations(CSO) and other sub-grants and human rights legacy projects in Nigeria and five West African countries.
This was disclosed in a statement on its website on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.
The fund is an extension of the MacArthur Foundation and WellSpring Philanthropic Fund.
It is aimed at promoting African-led transitional justice efforts in the region.
Regional Initiatives
According to the statement, the fund followed a deliberation by its executives, reflecting on administration of justice and human rights situations.
The ATJLF said it approved the fund to support fewer partners with more substantial financial and technical support through two-year grants, as opposed to smaller one-year grants in previous funding cycles.
It stated,
“The Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) is pleased to announce a commitment of $2,680,000.00 in sub-grants and legacy projects following deliberations between staff and ATJLF’s Executive and Advisory Councils.
“A total of $1,555,000 will support fifteen (15) civil society organizations to advance transitional justice initiatives across six West African countries.
“The sum of $750,000 has been earmarked for a set of legacy-worthy projects that include organizational capacity building support for ATJLF grantees, and an additional $375,000 has been set aside for collaboration with regional and continental bodies.
“As ATJLF enters its Legacy Phase, building on six years of impactful work and culminating in its sunset at the end of 2026, this final round of funding places a premium on sustainable interventions in Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Northeast Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia.”
Criteria for grants
ATJLF stated that regarding grants, its main focus will be on stakeholders engaging the protection and promotion of human rights.
“In the grant awards criteria, we prioritized interventions that plug into institutional transitional justice efforts, and those with the potential to strengthen the agency of survivors and build the capacity of community-based partners to achieve policy and other outcomes that include the prevention of recurrence of gross violations of human rights.
“Approved grants prioritize the implementation of contextually relevant solutions that are in line with the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP),” the statement added.
ATJLF promised to deepen its collaboration with the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) with a view to ensuring the effective design and implementation of the AUTJP and sub-regional policies and programs.
“ATJLF extends its gratitude and looks forward to continued work with grantee partners, the AU, ECOWAS, and the broader set of actors in the transitional justice space to build on these successes,” the statement added.
More insights
The Legacy Phase grants and projects of the ATJLF will bring ATJLF’s total grant-related investment in the region to the tune of $5.8 million.
Established in 2019, the fund is a response to the growing desire for African solutions to African problems rooted in shared experiences.
The fund was established to support stakeholder responses to mass atrocities and the implementation of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy in seven West African countries (Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, and Nigeria).