Just Future Alliance
outcomes
People-Centered Security
Security is a public good provided in many cases by state actors—ideally by accountable, responsive and inclusive institutions—but also by informal and customary actors. In the Just Future program, our starting point is that we engage with those actors who are relevant to security provision to the most excluded constituencies, if and where we see space for improving accountability, responsiveness and inclusion, in line with human rights standards, through advocacy, dialogue and capacity strengthening.
Promoting accountability, responsiveness to people’s security and an inclusive approach to security provision- requires a fundamental shift in the relationship between constituencies in society and security providers prioritizing people-centred solutions to insecurity. Security services that effectively guarantee people’s safety increase mutual confidence between (the most excluded) constituencies and (state) security providers.
People have a critical role to play and must come to see themselves as the “owners” of security; civil society can support this role by monitoring and holding to account duty-bearers, while supporting and working with local security actors and their international partners to improve security provision, and to make the security sector more effective and better adapted to meet peoples’ needs.
Access to Justice for All
When people are able to claim and enforce their rights, obtain remedies for grievances, and resolve conflicts non-violently, within a framework of rule of law, they have access to justice. Justice seekers should be able to quickly and affordably resolve their problems using the pathways to justice they view as most relevant and legitimate. Irrespective of which pathways they use, their justice journeys should occur within a framework of rule of law, transparency, and accountability, with respect for procedural rights like due process, and delivering outcomes that reflect real and tangible justice.
Agenda 2030, and especially SDG16.3, is the basis for Just Future’s strategy on access to justice. A focus on everyday justice entails a bottom-up approach in country-level change pathways. This includes building on and strengthening existing capacities of primary stakeholders at country-level.
The intended result of Just Future is to mobilize and equip CSOs, CBOs, social movements, and informal activist groups to take action that (1) empowers the most excluded constituencies to realize their rights and manage disputes non-violently through diverse pathways to justice, and (2) strengthens the accessibility (including affordability), responsiveness and accountability of justice providers.
Inclusive Political Decision-Making and Peace Processes
Without frameworks to enable people to participate in political decision-making and peace processes, there cannot be inclusive and sustainable peace. For Just Future, the main priority is to create access, to facilitate meaningful participation and to ensure that the most excluded constituencies can actually influence and shape political decision-making and peace processes to make them responsive to their needs, concerns and priorities.
Just Future will aim to ensure that patriarchal and gerontocratic structures do not limit challenges to (in)formal, harmful structures. It is vital to work with power-holders to help them understand the value of collaborating with those most excluded constituencies: most often women, young people and those who have been displaced from their communities.
To ensure the change is inclusive, all groups need to be involved in finding the right stakeholders to create the right change in society. Finding the right duty bearers and decision makers is in the often patriarchal societies Just Future works in more challenging for certain group, such as women’s rights organizations and youth-led groups. Facilitating access, creating support, strengthening capacities are all necessary to increase civic space, to maintain and promote human rights and to ensure meaningful and inclusive participation.