Introduction

This section provides an in-depth overview of justice and rule of law issues in post-conflict peacebuilding contexts.  In broad terms, this section examines the fundamental war-to-peace transformation: from the "rule of the gun" to the "rule of law" and the development of political, legal, and socio-economic structures and institutions that provide justice.   
 
The first part addresses definitions and conceptual issues related to the notions of justice and rule of law. The second part examines the linkage between the rule of law and peacebuilding, as well as the ascendance of rule of law assistance in peacebuilding contexts. The third part briefly presents the five sub-sections of the Justice and Rule of Law thematic area:

It also provides further explanation as to why these sub-topics were chosen, and the limitations of the section. The last part briefly presents two overarching debates on justice and rule of law that are elaborated upon in the sub-topics: the peace versus justice debate and the debate about global and local approaches. It also offers a brief overview of the main challenges facing this field.
 

The news, reports, and analyses herein are selected due to there relevance to issues of peacebuilding, or their significance to policymakers and practitioners. The content prepared by HPCR International is meant to summarize main points of the current debates and does not necessarily reflect the views of HPCR International or the Program of Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research. In addition, HPCR International and contributing partners are not responsible for the content of external publications and internet sites linked to this portal.