Special focus: Peacebuilding, reconciliation, truth commissions, and institutional reform

Graeme Simpson has an LLB and a history Masters degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He has worked extensively on issues related to reconciliation and transitional justice, including work with the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and on the transformation of criminal justice institutions in South Africa. Mr. Simpson was a founder and, from 1995-2005, executive director of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, in Johannesburg. He was one of the drafters of the National Crime Prevention Strategy, adopted by the South African cabinet in May 1996, as well as being a member of the drafting team for the South African White Paper on Safety and Security. Mr. Simpson has worked as a consultant to both governmental and non-governmental organizations in various countries. He has published widely in books and journals, and his publications cover diverse issues ranging from youth violence in South Africa, to the interplay between peace and justice in conflict states. Mr. Simpson is also co-editor the book, Commissioning the Past, which provides a critical analysis of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In 2005, Graeme Simpson was appointed as the Director of Country Programs at the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), headquartered in New York City and in that capacity oversaw the organization’s work in more than 30 countries around the globe. Currently, he is the Director of Thematic Programs at the ICTJ and oversees work on Prosecutions, Reparations, Truth-Seeking, Security System Reform, Memorials, Gender, and a newly-established program on Peace & Justice. He serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Transitional Justice and is a member of the International Advisory Board of INCORE in Northern Ireland. He is also a Lecturer at Columbia University Law School, where he teaches a seminar on Transitional Justice.