France deposits €140,000 to ICC trust fund for victims’ account

Gulu | The Trust Fund for Victims at the International Criminal Court (ICC) last month announced a €140,000 voluntary contribution from the Government of France, an ICC State Party, to support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as former child soldiers, through a trust fund for victims’ programs.

The other programs involve the provision of medical treatment, psychological rehabilitation, socioeconomic support, education, peacebuilding, and commemorative activities in collaboration with local authorities and communities.

These programs are currently being implemented in seven countries under the jurisdiction of the ICC: the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Kenya, Mali, and Uganda.

According to Kevin Kelly, a member of the Board of Directors of the Trust Funds for Victims, there is a shocking increase in violence against children, as well as sexual or gender-based violence against women and men, around the world.

Kelly adds that these programs will be prioritised and calls for responses to assist survivors of heinous crimes. He requests additional funds from the French government as part of their mandate to provide reparative justice to victims of crimes under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

The funds allocated to the Trust Fund for Victims account will be used to initiate reparations programs for Ntaganda and Dominic Ongwen.

According to François Alabrune, Ambassador of France to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, restoring victims’ normal life conditions is a crucial aspect of international criminal justice.

Alabrune also stated that France has renewed its contribution of 140,000 euros to the International Criminal Court’s Trust Fund for Victims in 2024, primarily to assist victims of sexual or gender-based violence and to rehabilitate all former child soldiers.

He confirmed that France, as a state party to the Rome Statute since June 9, 2000, has supported the ICC Trust Fund for Victims with annual voluntary contributions totalling more than €1.7 million since 2005.

The Trust Fund for Victims at the ICC is one of the Rome Statute’s pillars of reparative justice, contributing to the realisation of victims’ rights to reparations, which include restitution, compensation, and rehabilitation. 

Initiatives are available to victims and families under the ICC’s jurisdiction.