Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Rome Statute
 
 Speech by Motoo Noguchi, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims
The Hague, 15 February 2018 

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor and pleasure to say a few words on
this important occasion.

One of the main characteristics of the Rome Statute is mainstreaming victims’ rights in criminal
proceedings. The Trust Fund for Victims was established directly by the Statute as a subsidiary
body of the Assembly of the States Parties. The role of civil society was critical in establishing the
TFV as an essential element of the Rome Statute system.

The TFV has been providing assistance to more than 400,000 victims since 2008 under the
assistance mandate. As for the reparations mandate, so far the Court issued three reparations
orders, in Lubanga, Katanga, and Al Mahdi cases. Last year we started the implementation of some
of these cases for the first time in the history of the Court. After 20 years from Rome, the Statute’s
promise of reparative justice is finally becoming a reality for victims. 

Still there are a lot of challenges. Relevant proceedings generally take too long from victims’ point
of views. The TFV’s reach is limited both in financial and human resources. Fragile security
situations sometimes become an obstacle. To ensure that victims can regain their dignity and hope
and restart their lives as soon as possible, we have to establish a legally sound and operationally
viable mechanism for victims. 

Whether the TFV can provide meaningful redress to victims in present and future cases largely
depends on the level of support from the States Parties, which is the owner of the system. At
present, the total three reparations orders amounts to more than 13 million Euro and this surpasses
the reparations reserve in the TFV. There is clearly a need for radical increase of voluntary
contributions. I would like to request you to continue and further strengthen the support for the
TFV. The Rome Statute’s promise of reparative justice must be kept a reality for victims. 

Thank you for your attention.