United Kingdom donates £500,000 to ICC Trust Fund for Victims as part of G8 Initiative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
The Hague - At a reception following the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative G8 Expert Meeting in London on 12 February 2013, Foreign Secretary William Hague of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland announced a donation of half a million British Pounds to the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) for supporting victims of sexual violence under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). It is the third year in a row that the UK is making such a significant donation.
In a written statement to Parliament, the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said: “I can announce today that the UK will contribute an additional £500,000 to the International Criminal Court’s Trust Fund for Victims. We believe the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) is doing excellent work in supporting victims of sexual and gender based violence during conflict.”
The U.K. contribution signifies that assistance and reparations for victims of sexual violence are prioritized under U.K.’s multidisciplinary task force to support international and national jurisdictions in investigating and preventing sexual violence in armed conflict.
The Trust Fund for Victims’ Board of Directors welcomes Foreign Secretary Hague’s announcement and appreciates the donation to the TFV as reflecting the U.K.’s strong advocacy for the need of concerted international action and more resources in the fight against sexual violence in conflict under the United Kingdom’s Presidency of the G8.
Ms Kristin Kalla, Senior Programme Officer of the TFV was present at the event and stated that “the Trust Fund has made significant progress in supporting over 5000 survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and northern Uganda and believes the U.K.’s generous contribution will allow the Fund to expand their assistance to other situations such as the Central African Republic.”
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Background: The Trust Fund for Victims (TFV)
The Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) is the first of its kind in the global movement to end impunity and promote justice. At the end of one of the bloodiest centuries in human history, the international community made a commitment to end impunity, help prevent the gravest crimes known to humanity and bring justice to victims with the adoption of the Rome Statute. In 2002, the Rome Statute came into effect and the Assembly of States Parties established the TFV under article 79 of the Rome Statute, to benefit victims of crimes and their families within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). These crimes are genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes – and in the future, crimes of aggression.
The TFV addresses and responds to the physical, psychological, or material needs of the most vulnerable victims. It raises public awareness and mobilizes people, ideas and resources. It funds innovative projects through intermediaries to relieve the suffering of the often forgotten survivors. The TFV works closely with NGOs, community groups, women’s grassroots organisations, governments, and UN agencies at local, national, and international levels. By focusing on local ownership and leadership, the TFV empowers victims as main stakeholders in the process of rebuilding their lives.
With the unique roles of implementing both Court-ordered and general assistance to victims of crimes under the ICC’s jurisdiction, the Trust Fund for Victims offers key advantages for promoting lasting peace, reconciliation, and wellbeing in war-torn societies. The TFV fulfils two mandates for victims of crimes under jurisdiction of the ICC:
- Reparations: implementing Court-ordered reparations awards against a convicted person when directed by the Court to do so.
- General Assistance: using voluntary contributions from donors to provide victims and their families in situations where the Court is active with physical rehabilitation, material support, and/or psychological rehabilitation.
Currently, the TFV is providing a broad range of support under its second mandate in northern Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo – including access to reproductive health services, vocational training, trauma-based counselling, reconciliation workshops, reconstructive surgery and more – to an estimated 80,000 victims of crimes under the ICC's jurisdiction, including 5000 victims of sexual violence. The TFV will soon begin projects in the Central African Republic and will focus on aiding victims of sexual violence and building systems to combat rape and other forms of gender-based violence. Most of the TFV’s projects have incorporated both gender-specific and child-specific interventions to support the special vulnerability of women and children.
There are currently eight situations before the ICC, in Northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Darfur, Central African Republic (CAR), Kenya, Libya, Cote d’Ivoire and Mali which means that, with your help, the TFV can assist thousands of victims who come under the jurisdiction of the Court.
A short video on the activities of the Trust Fund for Victims can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_fEiZ3ark and for more information visit: http://www.trustfundforvictims.org/homepage.
TFV Board of Directors
Prof. Sayeman Bula-Bula (Democratic Republic of the Congo, representing African States),
Mr Motoo Noguchi (Japan, representing the Asian States)
Dr Denys Toscano Amores (Ecuador, representing the Americas and Caribbean States),
Ms Elisabeth Rehn (Finland, representing Western European and Other States),
Her Excellency, Dr Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga (Latvia, representing Eastern European States)
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For more information contact: Gaelle van der Meerendonk at +31 (0)70 515-8872 or by e-mail at: [email protected]