The Tribunal’s Outreach Programme this week launched its second round of university lectures in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) with a lecture yesterday to students at the Faculty of Criminology at the University of Sarajevo. The lectures are as part of the Outreach Programme’s region-wide youth project which aims to provide information to students throughout the former Yugoslavia on the work of the Tribunal.

Two further lectures will be held this week at the American University of Sarajevo and the Law School of the University of Zenica. The lectures are given by Thomas Pittman, Senior Legal Officer in ICTY Chambers. Mr. Pittman will introduce students to the work of the Tribunal, its jurisprudence and contributions to the development of international humanitarian and international criminal law.

Commenting on the value of the lectures a student from the Faculty of Criminal Justice Sciences at the University of Sarajevo said: ‘It was an extremely useful and good quality presentation that provided a comprehensive introduction to the doctrines of command responsibility and joint criminal enterprise. It will be of significant value to those students who intend to work in future with national judicial institutions or to continue their education in international humanitarian law’.

The first phase of the Outreach Programme’s youth project lasted from December 2011 to October 2012. The Programme engaged over 2,000 high school and 1,500 university students from BiH, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The second phase of the project, which commenced in high schools in BiH in February 2013, will build upon previous achievements and lessons learnt.

As the ICTY moves towards the completion of its mandate, the Outreach Programme is focusing its efforts on increasing the access of local communities to information on the Tribunal’s work. By promoting accessibility to the work of the Tribunal the Outreach Programme hopes to encourage a greater understanding of its achievements.

The Outreach Programme benefits from the continuous support of the European Union and its work with young people is generously supported by the Finnish government.