Accountability for Afghan Victims and Survivors

With this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), GCJ seeks applications for advancing accountability for Afghan victims and survivors of international crimes committed by the Taliban; IS-K; including members of the so-called “Haqqani Network”; and other non-state actors. This program will expand the capabilities of lawyers, investigators, prosecutors, and/or documentarians and build their understanding of international human rights law (IHRL), international criminal law (ICL), international humanitarian law (IHL), and domestic law, where applicable, through investigative support, capacity building training programs, and/or peer-to-peer mentorship in the investigation and prosecution of serious international crimes. Given the unavailability of Afghan courts, this NOFO seeks to capacitate civil and criminal cases (particularly gender-based and sexual crimes) in the courts of other states that may have jurisdiction.

GCJ seeks to expand the capabilities of lawyers, investigators, prosecutors, and/or documentarians building cases in domestic courts involving Afghan victims and survivors against those responsible listed above. A successful program will be aligned with global efforts to collect and preserve evidence in line with relevant “chain of custody” standards and will directly support both the education of relevant personnel and the investigation and prosecution of alleged perpetrators of atrocities. Coordination efforts should, in a manner consistent with U.S. law, support domestic cases, international mechanisms (including United Nations entities), and any future domestic prosecutions in Afghanistan in the event of a change in political realities on the ground.