The Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) is delighted to announce a voluntary contribution of CZK 500,000 from Czech Republic on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Rome Statute. This unrestricted contribution will be used to redress the harm suffered by victims of Rome Statute crimes, through reparations awards ordered by the ICC and other programmes for their benefit.
Speaking on this contribution to the TFV, H.E. Kateřina Sequensová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Kingdom of the Netherlands said "The Czech Republic is a long-term supporter of the International Criminal Court as such and the Trust Fund for Victims in particular. Victims are at the heart of the Court´s work and their protection and support to them is essential for the international criminal justice system. Rome Statue is an embodiment of the common fight against impunity for the most serious crimes under international law where victims play a crucial role. Therefore, I am pleased to announce the contribution of the Czech Republic to the Trust Fund for Victims to assist in its mandate to provide the victims of the most serious crimes much needed support."
Welcoming this donation, Minou Tavárez Mirabal, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Trust Fund for Victims at the ICC thanked the Government of the Czech Republic saying "Through this donation the Czech Republic shows itself, time and time again to be truly engaged with alleviating the harms done to innocent victims of atrocity crimes. Thanks to the support from the Government of the Czech Republic and all our donors we can work to ensure these survivors regain their hope and dignity and are able to rebuild their lives."
The Czech Republic has been supporting the TFV through voluntary contributions since 2011.
The TFV relies on financial contributions to implement its programmes. Non-earmarked voluntary contributions, such as this from the Czech Republic, are important to allow the Board of Directors the flexibility to allocate the resources to programmes where it is most impactful and necessary. The TFV also welcomes contributions from States Parties' development and cooperation funding, where possible.
Since 2004, the TFV has received over EUR 47 million from 52 States Parties and individuals. In 2022, the TFV received over EUR 3,8 million in voluntary contributions. For 2023, the TFV has received or is in the process of receiving contributions from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
With the contributions it receives, the Trust Fund for Victims is currently implementing reparation programmes for victims of crimes against humanity and war crimes in in the cases of Katanga, Lubanga, Al Mahdi, and victims in urgent need in the Ntaganda case, while being involved in reparation proceedings 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 and peace building activities in collaboration with local authorities and close involvement of local communities. These programmes are currently being implemented in seven situations under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court: in the Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Georgia, Kenya, Mali and Uganda.
