The Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation (IHJR) The Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation (IHJR) works with educational and public policy institutions to organize and sponsor historical discourse in pursuit of acknowledgement, and the resolution of historical disputes within divided communities and societies. To this end, the IHJR engages scholars, public opinion leaders and other stakeholders in convening conferences, seminars, debates, and joint research initiatives designed to address unresolved historic legacies. Since 2004, the IHJR has conducted multi-year projects in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
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The IHJR is hosted by EUROCLIO, the European Association of History Educators, based in The Hague. As an ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) or PBO (Public Benefit Organisation), EUROCLIO is able to receive grants and charitable contributions on behalf of the IHJR. See Support for list of IHJR funders.
Vision and mission
The IHJR assumes that many ethnic and nationalist conflicts today are rooted in unresolved historical disputes and injustices. Such events are often misunderstood and manipulated to serve political ends. Patriotic histories and nationalistic myths often serve public propaganda to fuel prejudice, ethnic hatred and aggressive nationalist sentiments. The IHJR believes that reconciliation, tolerance and understanding of "the other" can be promoted by confronting and overcoming distortions of historical reality. To achieve this, the IHJR engages respected scholars and public opinion leaders from opposing sides of a conflict to work in cooperation to create and disseminate shared historical narratives that provide reliable facts and commentary as a basis for public debate and discussion. In doing so, the institute and participants in its projects hope to contribute to laying the groundwork for stable peace.
International Advisory Board
The International Advisory Board of the IHJR is chaired by His Excellency Hisashi Owada, judge and former president of the International Court of Justice, in The Hague.