Peter van der Vliet, Director and Sustainable Development Goals Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announces The Netherlands’ voluntary contribution of €200,000 for the individual and collective reparations awards in the Katanga case.
Trust Fund for Victims decides to provide $1 million for the reparations awarded to victims in the Katanga case, welcomes earmarked donations of €200,000 from the Netherlands
On the second day of its 16th Meeting, occurring from 16 to 18 May 2017, the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims (“the Trust Fund” or “TFV”) at the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) decided to provide $1,000,000 USD to pay for the individual and collective awards for reparations ordered by Trial Chamber II in the case of The Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga.
This means that the full amount of the costs of the reparations awards ordered by the Trial Chamber on 24 March 2017 will be initially provided by the Trust Fund.
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“The Rome Statute’s innovative inclusion of the potential to award reparations to victims following a criminal conviction underscores the victim-centred approach of the entire Rome Statute system. As established by the Court, ‘reparations oblige those responsible for serious crimes to repair the harm they caused to the victims’. Reparations therefore are a critical part of the reparative justice afforded to victims under the Rome Statute.
“In light of Mr Katanga’s indigence and while recalling that he nonetheless remains liable for the reparations ordered against him, it is our sincerest hope that the Trust Fund’s complement of $1,000,000 USD to the payment of the awards for reparations will ensure that the victims in the Katanga case receive the real tangible benefits of these awards and that they are received in a timely manner.”, Statement from the Trust Fund’s Board of Directors.
The Trust Fund will now present to the ICC judges – by 27 June 2017 – a plan for implementing the individual and collective reparations in this case, describing the projects it intends to then develop.
The Trust Fund’s resources come mainly from voluntary contributions from States Parties, foundations, and individuals. In order to ensure that it has adequate resources for its assistance mandate activities and to complement the payment of awards for reparations that may be ordered in currently ongoing or future cases, the Trust Fund also solicits and encourages donations specific to ordered awards for reparations, which permit it to avoid depleting its reparations funds reserve.
On May 17, 2017, the government of The Netherlands, a State Party to the ICC and long-time supporter of the Trust Fund, announced that it will make a voluntary contribution of €200,000. This donation is earmarked for the full payment of the individual awards for reparations ($74,250) and to go towards the collective reparations awards (the remaining $925,750) in the Katanga case.
“The compensation may provide relief to the victims in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They have suffered so much already and we cannot have them wait any longer” Said Mr Bert Koenders, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
“The Netherlands earmarked donation to the Katanga case victims help ensure that the reparations awarded to these victim survivors do not remain simply words on a legal document, but instead result in the victim survivors of Mr Katanga’s crimes receiving tangible and meaningful reparations to remedy the harms they have suffered and begin their journey on a path of recovery, healing, and creating a better future for them, their families and their communities. We are grateful to The Netherlands for this important donation and encourage other State Parties to join in making the Rome Statute’s promise of reparations to victims a reality by making a voluntary contribution to the Trust Fund.” Mr Motoo Noguchi, Chairman of the Trust Fund for Victims Board of Directors
