| Summary: | On the heels of the publication of the International Criminal Court and Eurojust’s ‘Guidelines for Civil Society Organisations Documenting International Crimes and Human Rights Violations for Accountability Purposes’, this essay reviews the evolution of the role of civil society documentation efforts in international justice proceedings over the last decade. Published as part of a Special Symposium by the Journal of International Criminal Justice on the contributions of civil society organisations to accountability, the essay is written from the personal perspective of the author by virtue of her involvement in a series of initiatives aimed to strengthen civil society (as well as other international justice actors’) documentation efforts through the collection of standards and best practices, which the essay also discusses. In particular, the essay reviews the process and challenges of setting forth the first comprehensive guidance and set of best practices for civil society documentation with the Public International Law and Policy Group’s ‘Handbook on Civil Society Documentation of Serious Human Rights Violations’. The essay posits that, over the last ten years, civil society documentation efforts have undergone a revolution within the field: from the margins to the very heart of international judicial proceedings upholding accountability for international crimes. The essay posits that this revolution was, in part, rendered possible by a changing documentation landscape and the proliferation of documentation resources and capabilities now readily available to the civil society. After reviewing the current state of play with respect to documentary efforts and documentation best practices, which the author situates within the context of a broader evolution of the international justice ‘ecosystem’, the essay addresses some ongoing challenges in documentation, and areas that would benefit of further strengthening in the future.
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