Peace & Justice Innovations
About
The Peace & Justice Innovations Programme critically reflects on international peacebuilding practices and works in partnership with local civil society organisations to co-develop innovative approaches and strengthen methodologies rooted in lived experience and context knowledge. It is implemented together with a global network of around 30 organisations, ensuring diverse perspectives and experiences inform its work. The programme is closely connected to JustPeace’s collaborative learning and research platform, the JustPeace Lab.
Building on critical analyses of recent peace and justice initiatives, the programme integrates insights from a wide range of knowledge sources, including academic research, community-based learning, and practice-based reflection. It contributes to the essential shift towards human-centred, community-led approaches and promotes more equitable, reciprocal, and power-aware relationships across regions.
The Peace & Justice Innovations Programme is a multi-year initiative launched in March 2024 with the first International Peacebuilding Practitioners project. A follow-up project, focusing on transitional justice, is ongoing. Additionally, the Rotary Club has supported the programme with funding for a study and a practitioners’ guide on the use of AI and Peacebuilding.
projects
Project: International Peacekeeping Practitioners II (Transitional Justice)
Countries: Global
Duration: 01 May 2026 – 31 December 2027 (21 months)
Donor: German Foreign Office (GFO)
Amount: 1,520,574.91 Euros
Project: International Peacekeeping Practitioners I (Rule of Law)
Countries: Global
Duration: 01 March 2024 – 30 April 2026 (25 months)
Donor: German Foreign Office (GFO)
Amount: 938,838.35 Euros
Head of Project: Dr Tilmann J. Röder
Program & Research Coordinator: Dr Sarah Biecker
Program Researcher: Robert Poll (LL.M.)
Program Assistant: Lea Hensch
Supervising Director: Dr Julie Trappe
Building on the first phase, this project places transitional justice at the centre of its work, aiming to strengthen locally led approaches in complex conflict and transition contexts.
At its core is a global network of around 30 civil society organisations from the Global South and beyond. In this phase, the network will be further consolidated and expanded, serving as a platform for peer learning, joint analysis, and strategic collaboration, with a strong focus on locally grounded initiatives in dynamic political environments.
A key component is the implementation of at least eight locally led pilot initiatives on transitional justice in contexts such as Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kosovo, and Thailand. Designed and implemented by partner organisations, these initiatives address issues including accountability, memory, reconciliation, and community-based justice. Their experiences will be systematically analysed to identify effective approaches and conditions for impact.
The project will also operationalise the Rapid Response Unit established in the first phase, enabling joint analysis, ad hoc funding, and flexible responses to emerging crises.
In addition, the programme will convene in-person learning and exchange meetings in key contexts, including Ukraine and Syria, alongside policy dialogues with stakeholders from Germany, the European Union, the United Nations, and the wider transitional justice community. These formats will ensure that locally generated knowledge informs international policy and practice.
Countries: Global
Duration: 01 March 2025 – 31 August 2025 (6 months)
Donor: Rotary Club Berlin Platz der Republik
Amount: 4,000 Euros
Head of Project: Dr Tilmann J. Röder
Program & Research Coordinator: Dr Sarah Biecker
Program Researcher: Robert Poll (LL.M.)
Program Assistants: Lea Hensch
Supervising Director: Dr Julie Trappe
The first project of the Peace & Justice Innovations Programme focused on the intersections between the rule of law and peacebuilding, while strengthening linkages to complementary fields such as dialogue and security sector reform.
The project team convened a network of civil society organisations (CSOs), the majority of which were women- or youth-led. Participating organisations came from:
Africa: Ghana, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Congo (Republic of the Congo), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Burundi, Zimbabwe
Asia: Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Thailand, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Nepal, Israel/Palestine (ISR/PSE)
Europe: Ukraine, Kosovo, Belarus
Americas: Mexico, Peru
Within this network, participants exchanged on topics ranging from political analysis to operational collaboration and project methodology. Particular attention was given to civil and political rights in the digital sphere, which are increasingly under pressure globally.
During implementation, several innovative, locally led pilot initiatives were funded and accompanied, including in Libya, Azerbaijan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Mongolia. These small-scale projects addressed issues such as women’s rights, protection of indigenous communities, prevention of violent extremism, documentation of human rights violations, and the transformation of gender norms. They strengthened the capacities of participating organisations and enabled context-specific approaches.
In parallel, the project team developed a concept for Civil Society-Based Monitoring (CSBM), laying the foundation for a civil society-driven early warning and analysis system. Network members also engaged with providers of data and digital tools, including KoboToolBox and HURIDOCS. A Rapid Response Unit (RRU) was further developed at the conceptual level to support timely and locally informed action in dynamic conflict situations.
Project: AI-based Monitoring Tools & Techniques in Peacebuilding
Head of Project: Dr Tilmann J. Röder
Project Assistant: Neven Berringer
Supervising Director: Dr Julie Trappe
This project aimed to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for monitoring and responding to conflict dynamics in their regions. It explored how open source AI models, such as ChatGPT, could be adapted for community-driven analysis of social, political, and conflict-related developments.
The resulting Study on AI and Peacebuilding identifies accessible, low-cost AI methodologies—such as social media and news trend analysis—and assesses their relevance for small CSOs. Another key output is a Practical Guide for AI in Peacebuilding that offers step-by-step instructions for designing or adapting AI-based monitoring and early warning tools, along with guidance on ethical data use and local accountability.
JustPeace continues to assist its partner organisations apply and test these tools in their own contexts even beyond the implementation period.