A group of 45 history teachers from Serbia attended a presentation on the work and achievements of the ICTY by the Tribunal’s representative in Belgrade, Mr Goran Georgijev. The seminar, aimed at improving history teaching in primary and secondary schools, was jointly organised by the European Association of History Educators (EUROCLIO) and Association of Social History of Serbia (UDI) in Belgrade on 30 October 2016.
Mr Georgijev introduced history teachers to the work of the Tribunal and the important role that war crimes trials play in the process of facing the past. The aim of the presentation was to encourage teachers to introduce their students to issues pertaining to the Tribunal’s work and discuss with them the crimes committed during the conflict in the 1990s, using judicially established facts. The presentation focused on sharing the experiences and lessons learnt by the ICTY Outreach Programme, with special reference to activities aimed at young people in the region.
Teachers were interested to know more about the Outreach Programme’s contacts with high school students and keen to hear about their reactions to presentations on the ICTY. They also sought advice on how to approach the topic of war crimes committed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia and the subsequent war crimes trials.