ADDRESS BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION AT THE SECOND WEEKLY BRIEFING OF THE COMMISSION HELD ON WEDNESDAY 31ST JULY 2002

Ladies and gentlemen

Welcome to the Second of our Weekly briefings on the activities of the Commission.

It is the view of the Commission that Sierra Leone is a nation of victims. I use this term consciously because I know that quite a number of people might take issue with the use of the term. Many people feel that use of the term "victim" is negative, and constrains us from pulling ourselves up. They would prefer the term "survivor". However the Act setting up the Commission also uses the term "victim". In this context, I use the term as intended by the Act. Howbeit, in the course of the conflict in the country, everybody was victimized. All those who played one role or the other in furtherance of the objectives of any of the participating groups have also lost. We lost family members and close ones. We lost property. Our young men and women lost their youth. People were brutalized. Infrastructure was destroyed. We all have nothing to show as gains in the conflict. There are clearly no winners and losers. We are all poorer for the troubles we have had. Now is the time therefore to say, let us put the past behind us and move on. We must not forget the dead, the wounded, the disabled or those who endured one form of abuse of the other because of the war. But we cannot remain hostage to the past. It is time to think about our future. In constructing that future, truth telling is important, so that as a nation, we can chart an accurate roadmap.

It is in considering the type of future we want that the work of the Commission becomes very critical. We have to produce ideas and suggestions that enable us to make recommendations on the reforms and other measures that will enable us construct a new Sierra Leone of the future. It is in this context that the Commission has been engaged in a number of activities in the last week.

We have continued our consultations and meetings with different groups. Some of these include the following:

1. Meeting with the Human Rights Section of UNAMSIL. The Commission has been engaged in an on-ongoing dialogue with the Human Rights Section of UNAMSIL in respect of the activities of its Human Rights Officers who engage in monitoring in the districts, its reports and documents on the violations that occurred in the past, some of which have also been captured on a database.

2. Meeting with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. The Commission has also been in consultation with the UNHCR, on their activities relating to internally displaced persons and refugees. The Commission hopes to work very closely with the UNHCR in reaching all Sierra Leoneans, particularly those displaced or who are refugees in neighbouring countries.

3. Consultation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Commission is building on the relationship that existed between the Interim Secretariat and the UNDP. The Commission has been reassured that the relationship will not only continue, but also deepen, and it is exploring specific areas of support from the UNDP.

4. Consultation with UNICEF. The Commission has also hosted a consultation with the Representative and staff of UNICEF. The Commission is in receipt of a report of a consultation organised by UNICEF last year, on the participation of children in the Commission's activities. The Commission is studying the report and hopes to partner with UNICEF to ensure that the gains of the child reintegration and reinsertion programmes are not jeopardised through their participation in Commission related activities.

The Commission is very satisfied with the level of support and encouragement it is receiving from United Nations organs in Sierra Leone. The Commission hopes that the support will be deepened and it pledges to continue this tradition of consultation throughout its lifespan.

5. One of the Commissioners, Mr. Sylvanus Torto was in Kono during last weekend where he participated in the mass discussion that took place in the District. He had extensive consultations on the work of the Commission and people's participation in our activities.

6. This morning, two Commissioners and the Executive Secretary left for Port Loko to participate in a women and children's forum being organised by the Human Rights Officers of UNAMSIL in the District.

7. Today as well, the Deputy Chairperson will be leading a delegation from the Commission to a programme by Cliff College in Freetown. Participants will be students who are mostly pastors, lay church workers and civil servants.

8. This weekend, I will be in Kenema to participate in a consultation being organised by the Inter Religious Council of Sierra Leone and hopefully have a series of consultations with community groups and organisations in the District as well.

9. We also appreciate all the sensitisation programmes and consultations being organised by civil society organisation, government agencies, and UN agencies as well throughout the country, on the work of the Commission.

10. Recently, I participated in a conference on truth commissions, which held in Mexico City. In attendance were former chairpersons and key staff of past or current truth commissions around the world. It was a very wonderful opportunity for experience sharing and feedback with each other. The lessons learned at the conference are being shared with my colleagues to enable us chart the appropriate procedures and methods for our work.

11. For the rest of the preparatory phase, the Commission has appointed portfolio heads among the Commissioners to deal with specific issues. The portfolios and their respective heads are as follows:

a. Finance and Fundraising - Professor John Kamara

b. Reconciliation and Protection - Rt. Rev. Joseph Humper

c. Administration and Logistics - Mr. Sylvanus Torto

d. Public Information and Education - Mrs. Satang Jow

e. Legal and Report Writing - Professor William Schabas and Hon. Justice Laura Marcus-Jones

f. Deployment/Investigation/Research - Hon. Justice Marcus-Jones and Ms. Yasmin Sooka.

These portfolios would probably be expanded by the time the Commission enters its operational phase by October, to include other thematic issues that are crucial to the work of the Commission.

The Commission will continue its consultations with all kinds of stakeholders to ensure that all spheres of our national life are represented. The Commission appreciates the fact that most groups and organisations want to meet with it and discuss the nature of the Commission's operations, or how its procedures might affect members of their group, or for sensitisation purposes generally. The Commission wishes to appeal to any group or organisation wanting to invite it to any public event, to give the Commission sufficient notice of the proposed activity to ensure that the Commission or any of its staff is able to participate. It is in this connection that the Commission will in the immediate future begin holding meetings and consultations with representatives of all groups that participated in the conflict. The Commission hopes that they will respond positively to our invitation, and that in the process of these consultations, we could begin to chart a roadmap for the journey towards reconciliation in the country.

I thank you for your participation in today's briefing and look forward to seeing you next week.