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Report on memorization processes in post-conflict and divided societies
Published:
23 January 2014
Author:
Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights
Presented:
To the Human Rights Council, at its 25th session (March 2014)
Background
This report is the second of two consecutive studies undertaken on historical and memorial narratives.
The first was presented to the General Assembly in October 2013 on
the writing and teaching of history (A/68/296).
Summary and Recommendations
In this report, the Special Rapporteur stresses the importance of setting out the conditions to ensure a multi-perspective approach when it comes to narratives of the past.
Memorialization should be understood as
processes that provide the necessary space for those affected to articulate their diverse narratives in culturally meaningful ways. She recommends that transitional justice strategies and reconciliation policies include cultural rights. These rights call for policies that promote cultural interaction and understanding between people and communities. Beyond erecting physical monuments, memorial practices encompass a variety of engagements that can also take the form of numerous activities and artistic expressions. They should stimulate and promote civic engagement, critical thinking and discussion regarding the representation of the past.
Read all recommendations and conclusions of
the report on memorialization processes.
Learn more about the
work of the mandate relating to history and memory on the page dedicated to this issue in focus.
Methodology
To inform both her reports and elucidate ways and means to sensitize institutions and society on diverse cultural heritage and to enhance cooperation for its safeguard and promotion, the Special Rapporteur held an expert meeting and a public consultation in Geneva.
The Expert meeting on cultural rights in divided and post-conflict societies, was organized by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) in association with the University of Ulster. It was held in Derry, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on 1-3 July 2013.
See the short
video about the consultation and
read the keynote speech by the Special Rapporteur.
Read the report of the Northern Ireland Commission on Human Rights to the Human Rights Council on the consultation (A/HRC/25/NI/5).
The open consultation was held on 5 July 2013 in Geneva. Member States, specialized agencies, intergovernmental organizations, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations were invited to take part.
See the
note verbal and read below the statements from the experts invited:
