On behalf of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the Registrar of Tribunal, Hans Holthuis, expresses his appreciation to the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway for contributing NOK 300,000 Kroner (around USD32,000) to the ICTY Outreach Programme.

This contribution assists the Tribunal in its efforts to ensure that its activities remain transparent and accessible across the former Yugoslavia.

The Programme, which operates primarily in languages from the former Yugoslavia, aims to strengthen contacts between the Tribunal and communities in the region. To this end it has established regional ICTY Outreach offices in Sarajevo and Zagreb. An additional office in Prishtina is scheduled to open in late January 2001 and it is hoped that, funding and circumstances permitting, a presence in Belgrade will be established later in the year.

The programme operates on the understanding that the Tribunal works as an agency of security and reconciliation in South East Europe, working in partnership with and for the benefit of citizens in the region to strengthen the rule of law.

The ICTY Outreach Programme is a United Nations Trust Fund and as such is entirely funded by voluntary contributions from States and institutions.

The Programme has, since its launch in the Fall of 1999, received generous support from the European Union; the government of the United States of America; the Peace and Stability Fund of the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland; the Foreign & Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.