Justina Pinkeviciute

ISRF Independent Scholar Fellow

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My research critically engages with the fields of Transitional Justice, Human Rights, Development, and Peacebuilding, with a particular focus on the pursuit of socio-economic and environmental justice. I examine the power relations between the state, the private sector, and civil society, and how these shape justice and development outcomes in conflict-affected contexts. As a researcher-activist, I utilise research as a tool for advocacy, working collaboratively and in solidarity with local communities to support transformative change.

I hold a PhD in Development Studies from the Centre for Peace and Security at Coventry University, where my thesis examined local participation in Colombian Collective Reparations and Territorially Focused Development Programmes (PDETs). Previously, I worked in human rights advocacy with organisations including Amnesty International and the Council of Europe, as well as grassroots civil society groups.

During my visiting fellowship with PAIS and WICID, I will examine how and to what extent participatory mechanisms in peacebuilding, transitional justice, and reconstruction efforts shape socio-economic outcomes for communities in conflict-affected societies. Drawing on case studies from Colombia and Ukraine, I explore how grassroots justice claims are mediated within liberal practices that promote the neoliberal development model. The research aims to produce outputs that contribute to both academic scholarship and policy practice, offering insights into how participatory processes might be reimagined to re-centre the agency and rights of conflict-affected populations.

Recent peer-reviewed publications

Pinkeviciute, J., Harrowell, E., Antón, E. G., Gutiérrez-Bonilla, M. L., & Ortiz Hernández, M. (2025). A ‘youth-ed’ peace? A framework for understanding youth peacebuilding. Peacebuilding, 1–14

Pinkeviciute, J. (2025). The Limits of Participation Without Economic Justice in Peacebuilding: A Study of Colombia. Journal of Peacebuilding & Development, 15423166251355734.

Selected Research Impact and Public Outputs

• Pinkeviciute, J. (2025)

  Reconstruction at a Crossroads: Aligning Ukraine’s Recovery with Human Rights and Meaningful Participation. Warwick Ukraine-Belarus Hub Policy Briefs

• Peace is More Than the Silence of Guns,

  a research-based graphic novel exploring youth participation in peacebuilding in Colombia. Coventry University and PositiveNegatives, June 2025.

• Generation Peace podcast series, Episode 2: Colombia. Coventry University, 2 Dec 2024. DOI: 10.57955/c4fe4d7d-8ce4-4856-9b7c-57a9b6072a27

• Generation Peace podcast series, Episode 6: Reflections. Coventry University, 20 Feb 2025. DOI: 10.57955/3131ead2-8cf9-4c2f-81f1-8a4ff012dd0

• Colombia Solidarity Campaign (2014).

  La Colosa: A Death Foretold. Alternative Report about AngloGold Ashanti’s Gold Mining Project in Cajamarca, Tolima, Colombia

• Talk on the resistance of Cajamarca to a large-scale gold mining project, as part of the We Feed the World photography exhibition, Bargehouse Gallery, Oxo Tower, London, October 2018.

Educational and Training Contributions

Alongside my research, I have extensive experience in non-formal education with young people, particularly in the areas of human rights, health, and sustainability. I have co-authored widely used educational manuals such as Compass: Manual for Human Rights Education with Young People Council of Europe, 2012, 2023) and

T-Kit 13: Sustainability and Youth Work (Council of Europe, 2018), and have contributed to the design and delivery of numerous training programmes.

Memberships

I am a member of the COST Action research network Peace Research Community Europe (PEACE), contributing to the Working Groups on Feminist Peace and Local Peace, the UK Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Network, and the research network Fighting for Empowerment with academics and practitioners from the UK, Colombia, and Ukraine.