A national workshop on exchange and capacity building on memorial reparations was held from December 10 to 12, 2024, at the 2 Février Hotel in Lomé. The opening ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Justice and Legislation, Mr. Mipamb Nahm Tchougli, representing the President of the Republic, in the presence of the President of HCRRUN, Mrs. Awa Nana-Daboya, and various dignitaries. Organized by the High Commission for Reconciliation and Strengthening of National Unity (HCRRUN), this meeting fundamentally aims to foster among the population and decision-makers a shared understanding and vision of memorial reparations with a view to securing the support and involvement of the entire national community in implementing this component of the reparations program.
Over three days, participants were informed through three panels focusing successively on the place of memory in post-crisis societies, laws and memorial reparations in transitional justice processes: dilemmas and opportunities, and memorial reparations in Togo: issues and challenges. They were enriched by ten pertinent themes, including history and memory: two contrasting yet similar realities, memorialization mechanisms in transitional justice: preserving traces of human rights violations, foundation and contextualization of memorial reparations in transitional justice. Overview of disputes and memorial violations in the aftermath of Togo’s independence, and what memorial reparations for reconciliatory and restorative justice in Togo were also addressed.
In his opening remarks, Minister Mipamb Nahm Tchougli welcomed this very important meeting, as it demonstrates the interest given to the dynamics of reconciliation and the promotion of human rights. According to the Minister, by adopting the reparations program and the recommendations of the CVJR and reinforcing this commitment by creating HCRRUN responsible for implementation, the President of the Republic has placed Togo on the path of transitional justice. He indicated that the issue of memorial reparations in Togo is part of a comprehensive and binding policy approach rooted in the general will.
For the President of HCRRUN, the primary objective of this gathering is to foster, at the national level, a shared understanding of the memorial reparations recommended by the CVJR. The ultimate goal is to exchange views and bring the national community to a common understanding of memorial reparations and to secure the support of the population and decision-makers. The President of HCRRUN emphasized that this meeting must be an opportunity for all stakeholders to develop credible approaches capable of bringing Togolese together around a less conflictual and hope-bearing memory.
