Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation (IHJR)

The IHJR seeks to promote reconciliation, tolerance and understanding in divided societies by dispelling public myths of disputed historical legacies. To this end, the IHJR engages respected scholars and public opinion leaders from opposing sides of a conflict to work together to create and disseminate shared narratives that provide reliable facts and commentary as a basis for public debate and discussion. Through these collaborative efforts, the IHJR also aims to develop networks of engaged citizens from academia, civil society and the media, to serve as early warning systems to confront and avert the misuse of disputed historical legacies.

The IHJR was founded in 2004 as a project of the Salzburg Global Seminar by Elazar Barkan, professor and co-director, Center for Human Rights at Columbia University in New York, and Timothy W. Ryback, then a vice president and resident director at the Seminar, and currently deputy secretary general of the Académie Diplomatique Internationale in Paris. In October 2008, the IHJR was established as an independent institute in The Netherlands with its offices in The Hague. Under Dutch law, the IHJR is a non-profit foundation (‘stichting’) eligible to receive charitable contributions. The IHJR continues to work in partnership with the Salzburg Global Seminar.