Hugo van der Merwe

Hugo van der Merwe is responsible for leading the Global Survivors Fund's (GSF) national advocacy and technical support efforts across the globe. 

Hugo has worked in the transitional justice field for over 25 years. Before joining GSF, he worked at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation in South Africa as Manager of the Transitional Justice Programme and Director of Research. He has been involved in research, advocacy and intervention projects in South Africa and across the African continent. These projects included collaborations with the various African and international CSOs, academic partners and the African Union. His work covers a range of issues including reparations, conflict-related sexual violence, truth commissions, prosecutions, amnesties, ex-combatant reintegration, community reconciliation and corporate accountability. Hugo received his PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University in 1999 and holds undergraduate degrees in Sociology, African Studies and Statistics. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Transitional Justice (Oxford University Press) from 2007-2022.  His publications include five edited volumes, the most recent of which is Transitional Justice: Theories, Mechanisms and Debates (Routledge, 2021).