Press Release: 1 March 2023

Lithuania makes voluntary contribution to the Trust Fund for Victims

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Photo: H.E. Neilas Tankevičius Ambassador of Lithuania to the Kingdom of the Netherlands (left) and Franziska Eckelmans, Acting Executive Director (right)
Photo: H.E. Neilas Tankevičius Ambassador of Lithuania to the Kingdom of the Netherlands (left) and Franziska Eckelmans, Acting Executive Director (right)

The Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) takes great pleasure in announcing that in December 2022, the Government of Lithuania made a generous voluntary contribution of EUR 20,000 to the Trust Fund for Victims.

Andres Parmas, Board Member for the Trust Fund for Victims has expressed his appreciation by saying “Donations from States Parties, such as this one from Lithuania, moves us all one step closer to ensuring that the victims of Rome Statue crimes are recognized and that Court ordered reparations are fulfilled. Contributing to the Trust Fund for Victims shows that together, States Parties can achieve their common goals in supporting the victims and survivors of Rome Statue crimes.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, H.E. Gabrielius Landsbergis shared that “Lithuania supports the Trust Fund for Victims as one of the essential elements for the work of the International Criminal Court. We are pleased of having a chance to take part in action when the Trust Fund for Victims makes reparative justice a meaningful reality. Sadly, the scope of the work for the Trust Fund for Victims will increase tremendously in the coming years. Psychological rehabilitation and counselling services, medical treatment and material support is the very least we can do for the victims of wars and injustice.”

TFV and ICC form together the pillar of the Rome Statute’s reparative justice system. Transformative reparations are at the core of the TFV’s work. Many of its programmes focus on survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. Through its partners, the TFV aims at empowering victims to overcome their harm and at mitigating the negative transgenerational effects of the most serious crimes of concern to humanity. Voluntary contributions enable TFV programmes and visibly support its role in attaining justice, sustainable development, peace and stability.

To date, the TFV is implementing programmes in four reparation cases ordered by the ICC, the Lubanga, Katanga, Al Mahdi, and Ntaganda cases. The convicted persons in these cases were all found to be indigent and the TFV has responded to the ICC's requests to consider complementing the payment of the reparations awards. Using the available voluntary contributions, the TFV is paying for the implementation of reparations awards in these four cases. Additional funds are urgently required to continue the reparation programme for the victims of the case Lubanga. The TFV has also engaged in the fifth reparations proceeding in Ongwen since the beginning of 2021.

The TFV conducts country programmes for the benefit of victims of Rome Statute crimes in the following ICC situation countries: Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire,  Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and Uganda. The TFV will soon launch new programmes in Georgia and Kenya.

For more information about the Trust Fund for Victims, please contact: [email protected] or visit: www.trustfundforvictims.org

Source: Trust Fund for Victims