The Republic of Latvia strengthens its support to the Trust Fund for Victims
The Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) is pleased to announce an increased voluntary contribution of EUR 50,000 from the Republic of Latvia this year. This unrestricted contribution will be used to redress the harm suffered by victims of Rome Statute crimes, through reparation awards ordered by the ICC and other programmes for their benefit.
Welcoming this contribution, Minou Távarez Mirabal, Chair of the TFV Board of Directors, thanked the Government of Latvia by saying “Mass atrocities that give ground to investigations by the ICC often involve material, psychological and physical harms suffered by individuals and communities, which tend to be overlooked. We welcome this renewed increased financial support from Latvia. Latvia’s continued support enables the TFV to continue providing reparative justice to the most vulnerable of victims under the jurisdiction of the ICC.” Ms Távarez Mirabal emphasised the pivotal importance of voluntary contributions, to enable the Trust Fund for Victims to implement its reparations and assistance programmes.
Referring to this contribution, The Minister of Justice of Latvia, H.E. Inese Lībiņa-Egnere emphasized that “Latvia supports the mission of the Trust Fund for Victims to contribute to ensuring justice by providing both an assistance and reparations to the victims of the most serious crimes, including those still under investigation by the ICC Prosecutor. As a unique institution in criminal justice, the Trust Fund for Victims for many years has been a critical part of implementing the Rome Statute and ensuring accountability. The rights of victims to a remedy and reparations must be ensured therefore Latvia is determined to provide continuous support for the TFV’s work.”
The TFV relies on financial contributions to implement its programmes and activities. Unrestricted contributions provide flexibility for the TFV Board of Directors to allocate resources based on impact and necessity and earmarked contributions are directed towards specified activities, either for programme development or implementation. The TFV also encourages contributions from States Parties’ development cooperation funding, where possible.
Since 2004, the TFV-ICC has received over EUR 48 million from 52 States Parties and individuals. This year, the TFV has increased contributions from States Parties by 35% from 2022 from at least 24 States Parties. The Republic of Latvia has provided voluntary contributions to the TFV several times since 2007.
The Trust Fund for Victims at the ICC is one of the pillars of reparative justice of the Rome Statute, dedicated to realising the right of reparations for victims—encompassing restitution, compensation, and rehabilitation. Initiatives extend to victims and families within the ICC jurisdiction.
With the contributions it receives, in 2023 the Trust Fund for Victims has concluded the first judicial cycle of the ICC, with the completion of the reparation programme for victims in the Katanga case. The TFV continues implementing reparation programmes for victims of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the cases of Lubanga, Al Mahdi, and Ntaganda, while awaiting the reparations order in the Ongwen case.
The TFV is also implementing other programmes for the benefit of victims through the provision of medical treatment, psychological rehabilitation, socio-economic support, education, peace-building and commemoration activities with collaboration from local authorities and local communities. These programs are currently being implemented in seven situations under the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Georgia, Kenya, Mali, and Uganda.
For more information about the Trust Fund for Victims, please contact: [email protected] or visit: www.trustfundforvictims.org