The Tribunal’s Outreach Programme today launched its third round of university lectures, with a presentation for students at the American University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The lectures are 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 other lectures will be held this week at the Law Faculty, University of Tuzla and the American University of Tuzla. More lectures are planned throughout the academic year in other countries of the former Yugoslavia, including Serbia, Montenegro, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Commenting on the value of the lectures, the Tribunal’s Registrar John Hocking said: “It is important to ensure that future legal professionals and other decision-makers have an accurate and full understanding of the Tribunal’s mandate and achievements. Many of these accomplishments, for example in the field of jurisprudence, procedure, witness protection or outreach, can inspire the younger generation to take on similar challenges at the national level.”

The first phase of the Tribunal’s Youth Outreach Project was held from December 2011 to October 2012, engaging over 2,000 high school and 1,500 university students from across the region. The second phase of the project took place in 2013 and reached over 1,275 high school and 1,157 university students.

As the ICTY moves towards the completion of its mandate, the Outreach Programme is intensifying its efforts to increase the access of local communities to information on the Tribunal’s work. In doing so, the Outreach Programme supports the Tribunal’s legacy throughout the region of the former Yugoslavia.

The Outreach Programme benefits from the support of the European Union and its work with the youth of the former Yugoslavia is generously supported by the Finnish government.