Elin Skaar

Elin Skaar is a Research Professor at the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), specializing in transitional justice, human rights, and the role of courts in new democracies. Her work focuses on Latin America (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay) and Southern Africa (Angola, Mozambique). She leads CMI's research on transitional justice, directing projects like 'Drivers of Justice,' 'Reconceptualising Justice: The Latin American Experience,' and 'Beyond Words: Implementing Latin American Truth Commission Recommendations.'

• Current projects include investigating Norway’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and leading studies on truth commissions and conflict-related sexual violence, as well as 'Women on the Bench: The Role of Female Judges in Fragile States.'
• Leadership roles: Former Research Director of 'Rights, Democracy and Development' (2007–2009), coordinator of the 'Rights and Legal Institutions' cluster (2009–2017), and head of the 'Rights and Gender' research group (2017–2019).
• Key publications include volumes on truth commission recommendations and transitional justice in Latin America, such as Exploring Truth Commission Recommendations in a Comparative Perspective: Beyond Words (2022).

Her research emphasizes the intersection of law and politics, with a focus on how truth commissions, courts, and judicial reforms impact accountability and peacebuilding. Recent work highlights the role of gender in judicial systems (e.g., Angola’s female judges) and the challenges of implementing truth commission recommendations across regions.