Austria increases its voluntary contribution to the Trust Fund for Victims

The Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) takes great pleasure in announcing that the Government of Austria increased its voluntary contribution to the TFV this year to EUR 50,000. 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 Austria’s contribution to the TFV at a meeting with the TFV Executive Director, Deborah Ruiz Verduzco, H.E. Astrid Harz, Ambassador of Austria said, ”On the 25th anniversary of the Rome Statute, we are reminded that victims are at the heart of the Rome Statute and our common fight against impunity. This contribution is in support of the Trust Fund's important work to help victims and survivors of the most serious international crimes."

Mr Kevin Kelly, member of the TFV Board of Directors welcomed this contribution by saying, “I wish to  express my appreciation to Austria for their continued support to the Trust Fund for Victims, in particular for the increased voluntary contribution this year. This outstanding support assists the TFV in our efforts to ensure that victims of Rome Statute crimes receive much needed reparation.”

Austria has been supporting the TFV continuously through annual voluntary contributions since 2007. Austria’s contribution in 2023 increased fivefold in the past five years.

The TFV relies on financial contributions to implement its programmes. Non-earmarked voluntary contributions, such as this  from Austria, 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.

For more information about the Trust Fund for Victims, please contact: trustfundforvictims@icc-cpi.int or visit: www.trustfundforvictims.org