360 Justice Hub for Ukraine

CNS is at the forefront of creating a new institutional design–a 360 justice hub–to deliver holistic forms of justice and accountability to victims of conflict and mass atrocities. We are developing this project through our work on Ukraine, where the stakes for civilians could not be higher. This is a first-of-its-kind model that combines the political mandate and resources of states with the technical expertise of global experts and organizations to deliver real time assistance to Ukrainian authorities.

We are undertaking this work through the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA)–a multinational initiative of the EU, UK, and US, announced by the Secretary of State and his counterparts in May 2022. The ACA is providing advisory and technical support to the Ukrainian Office of the Prosecutor General to prosecute war crimes cases through the domestic Ukrainian justice system. Georgetown has been designated as the lead organization of this project. As the Secretariat, we are coordinating and providing bespoke, flexible, and sustained international expertise to Ukrainian officials by harnessing the collective expertise of global experts from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.

Complementing the work of the ACA is our Innovation Council for International Justice (ICIJ). Through the ICIJ, we are creating a new justice table, with a radically diverse set of actors and new processes to help decision-makers respond to the call for justice for mass atrocities. The ICIJ, which will take the situation in Ukraine as its initial focus, will draw on multidisciplinary expertise from non-traditional sectors, and create a seat at the table for local stakeholders to connect and develop justice policy and programs.

Cumulative Civilian Harm

In the coming months, we are planning to launch a second project as part of our NatSec Humanity Incubator that will focus on strengthening the ways in which law and policy take into account cumulative harm to civilians over time. This is a significant gap in our law and policy which has received some attention in recent years but is short on solutions.