On Friday, 30 May 2025, the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at its offices in Cape Town. The gathering offered an opportunity to reflect on the organisation’s key achievements in 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, to draw important lessons, and to chart the strategic direction for the next five years.

The meeting was opened by Mr Lorenzo Angus Davids, Acting Chairperson of the IJR Board, who commended the Executive Director, Prof Cheryl Hendricks and all IJR staff for their dedication and impactful work throughout 2024.

This year’s AGM was especially memorable, with several esteemed guests in attendance, including Her Excellency Robina Marks, South Africa’s Ambassador to Benin and Togo; Mr Nicolas Fierens Gevaert, Consul General of Belgium in Cape Town; and Ms Dzvinka Kachur, Director of the Ukraine Society of South Africa.

Prof Hendricks reminded attendees of IJR’s guiding vision – a Pan-African organisation that seeks to build fair, inclusive, democratic, and peaceful societies in Africa. She further outlined the institution’s strategic focus:

• Empowering policy actors to integrate peacebuilding and governance research into policy processes.
• Encouraging communities to assert agency in transforming divided societies.
• Supporting the implementation of peacebuilding and transitional justice policies, programmes, and processes.

The IJR’s increasing presence at global, continental, and national levels was a defining feature of 2024. Internationally, the IJR engaged with the United Nations on reforming the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the peacebuilding architecture, and contributed to the Summit of the Future. Participation in the Women Mediators Retreat in New York and the FriEnt Peacebuilding Forum in Berlin, further positioned the organisation as a global thought leader in peacebuilding.

On the African continent, the IJR launched a new project on African Perspectives of the Global Order, in partnership with the International Peace Institute, funded by the Carnegie Corporation. Additionally, the Data4Governance project continued to strengthen engagement with the African Union (AU) and its various governance institutions.

The IJR also participated in key AU retreats on rethinking peace and security and contributed to efforts to increase women’s participation in mediation. Activities in Addis Ababa, Namibia, Kenya, Ghana, and Ethiopia underscored the organisation’s hands-on approach through regional workshops, evaluations, and capacity-building initiatives.

Within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the IJR conducted Afrobarometer surveys in Lesotho, Botswana, and South Africa, and co-hosted a Women, Peace and Security regional workshop in Johannesburg, with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). The team also reconnected with civil society networks and hosted diplomatic briefings to share research findings.

At national level, the IJR implemented numerous initiatives that centred the voices of women, youth, and local communities in South Africa. The Sustained Dialogues and Women, Peace and Security Programmes facilitated workshops and dialogues promoting inclusion and identity.

“With support from the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), we deployed the Women’s Election Mechanism for Peace in five provinces and established five peace rooms with 300 peace monitors,” Prof Hendricks informed participants of the AGM.

She also highlighted the fact that the IJR also popularised its Peace Charter during the Human Rights Festival at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg and hosted a Peace Walk in Durban. Alongside South African Women in Dialogue, the IJR convened a Pre-National Dialogue for Women.

In addition, the organisation deepened its collaborations with traditional leaders, religious organisations, and government departments such as the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the Department of Justice. The Women, Peace and Security programme also broadened its focus to include the Youth, Peace and Security agenda.

“We’ve been supporting the implementation of the National Action Plan to Combat Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, as well as the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security in South Africa,” added Prof Hendricks.

Amidst the achievements, 2024 also brought great loss with the passing of the institute’s Senior Project Leader for the Peacebuilding Interventions Programme, Dr Webster Zambara. In his honour, the IJR, in partnership with Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights), launched the Webster Zambara Annual Lecture Hall to continue his legacy.

Significant progress was also made on the research front. The IJR completed Round 9 of the Afrobarometer perception surveys and five surveys for Round 10. It also conducted pre- and post-election surveys in South Africa and published the 2024 South African Reconciliation Barometer (SARB). A new book on Transitional Justice in Africa, edited by Prof Tim Murithi, Head of Peacebuilding Interventions, and a report on Preventing Violent Extremism in Kenya were among many valuable knowledge products released during the year.

Departmental leads presented their achievements and plans for the future:

• Felicity Harrison, Head of Sustained Dialogues, showcased the work of the Anti-Racism, Social Cohesion and Inclusion Project, Just Energy Transition Project, Memory, Arts and Culture Project, and Youth Identity Project.
• Preston Govindasamy, Senior Project Leader of Afrobarometer, shared updates on the SARB, Afrobarometer, Data for Governance Alliance, and the Sri Lanka Barometer.
• Prof Tim Murithi, outlined initiatives in Preventing Violent Extremism, Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development, and African Perspectives on the Emerging Global Order.
• Mwanja Ng’anjo, Head of Communications, presented the IJR’s communications strategy, emphasising milestones reached over the past year and outlining upcoming initiatives aimed at strengthening the organisation’s public profile and deepening engagement with key audiences.
• Anne-Marie Stephenson, Fundraising and Stakeholder Manager, delivered a comprehensive update on the organisation’s business development efforts, outlining progress in donor engagement and resource mobilisation strategies.

As the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation moves forward into a new strategic phase, the AGM reflected both the organisation’s continued relevance and its enduring commitment to a more just, peaceful, and inclusive Africa.