The publication we are launching today, Traditional Justice and Reconciliation After Violent Conflict is the product of a near two-year comparative study undertaken by International IDEA with the kind support of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The heart of the report is a series of case studies, conducted mainly by national researchers, of the role of traditional justice mechanisms and processes in African countries that have recently emerged – or some cases, are still emerging – from a legacy of often protracted social upheaval and violent conflict.