The Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) is delighted to announce that following a competitive recruitment process led by the TFV Board of Directors, Ms Deborah Ruiz Verduzco has been selected as the new Executive Director of the Trust Fund for Victims. She will assume her duties on 1 May 2023.
Ms Ruiz Verduzco holds a PhD in International Law and brings a wealth of relevant expertise and work experience to this challenging role. Prior to her current position as Director of the Coalition for the ICC (CICC), Ms Ruiz Verduzco held a number of senior roles in a variety of international organisations including the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). She served as a Special Assistant to two Presidents of the Assembly of State Parties of the International Criminal Court. Ms Ruiz Verduzco also participated on behalf of the Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) in the Review Conference of the Rome Statute in 2010 as a member of the CICC Team on Aggression.
In relation to the appointment of Ms Ruiz Verduzco, the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims Ms Minou Tavárez Mirabal stated:
"This appointment of a new Executive Director comes at a very important time for the Trust Fund for Victims. The needs of victims for reparative justice are greater than ever, and the Board of Directors has been leading a process of change and transition in order to deliver on our important mandate. Along with my fellow Board Directors I look forward to working closely with Ms Ruiz Verduzco to achieve the TFV's critical objectives of programme impact, fundraising, communication and accountability.
I also wish to express my deep appreciation to Ms Franziska Eckelmans, who has performed the role of Acting Executive Director since 1 September 2022 until the finalization of the recruitment process."
The Executive Director of the TFV is responsible for leading the efficient and meaningful delivery of reparations to survivors and victims of the most serious crimes under international law as defined in the Rome Statute. The Director is accountable for securing funds, planning, managing and coordinating the TFV Secretariat's activities, operating under the full authority of the Board in matters concerning its activities.
The mandate of the Executive Director is up to seven years, as decided by the Assembly of States Parties at its twenty-first session in December 2022 (ICC-ASP/21/Res-2).
