With the establishment of Outreach, the Tribunal recognised that it had a role to play in the process of dealing with the past in the former Yugoslavia.
The Tribunal’s Outreach Programme is at the heart of the institution’s relationship with the region of the former Yugoslavia. In the remaining years of the ICTY’s mandate, this relationship will become more important than ever.
With the arrest of the last two fugitives in 2011, and many of the high-level accused currently standing trial, the Tribunal’s legacy is beginning to take final shape. The upcoming period presents a definitive opportunity to work with the communities in the region to reflect on the Tribunal’s achievements and carry that legacy forward. The final years of the Tribunal’s mandate will therefore see an extensive and methodical information campaign targeted at the region and spearheaded by Outreach.
The establishment of Outreach in 1999, six years into the ICTY’s existence, was a milestone in the Tribunal’s progression to maturity. It was a sign that the court had become deeply aware that its work would resonate far beyond the judicial mandate of deciding the guilt or innocence of individual accused. With the establishment of Outreach, the Tribunal recognised that it had a role to play in the process of dealing with the past in the former Yugoslavia, one of the key challenges for societies emerging from conflict.
Outreach now is a modern and robust body, with the specialist knowledge required to fulfill the Tribunal’s mandate of contributing to peace and security in the region. Its mission is to put into practice the principle of open justice: for justice to be truly done, it must be seen to be done.
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| The Outreach Programme is generously supported by the European Union | |
 The Outreach Youth project is supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland |
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Every year, thousands of people come into direct contact with the Tribunal through a variety of activities. These activities include capacity building for national judiciaries; work with the younger generation, grassroots communities, and the media; visits to the ICTY; and the production of a variety of information materials, multi-media website features and social media outputs. In these activities, Outreach not only informs, but also listens and encourages dialogue. Ultimately, the shape and success of the Tribunal’s legacy in the fight against impunity and efforts to deal with the past will be determined by the local communities themselves.
The Tribunal depends on external funding to keep its Outreach Programme going, and the European Union has been a generous and long-time supporter of the programme. Additional support is needed to implement important projects that will ensure that the Tribunal’s efforts to secure peace and security in the region continue to bear fruit for generations to come.