Today the Tribunal’s Outreach Programme published its Annual Report highlighting the Tribunal’s efforts during 2012 to provide information to people from the former Yugoslavia and around the world about the ICTY’s work.

‘Although the Tribunal’s judicial mandate is drawing to a close, the impact of its work and the achievements will resonate for many years to come in the region of the former Yugoslavia, in international and national courtrooms, and around the world. I am proud of the steps taken in 2012 to preserve and strengthen this invaluable legacy and grateful to the staff of the Outreach Programme for all their efforts over the past year’ said ICTY President, Theodor Meron, introducing the report.

The report spans the full range of the Outreach Programme’s activities in 2012, and also includes outreach activities undertaken by the ICTY President’s office and the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) - from youth and media outreach to work with grass-root communities and judicial capacity building. An analysis of the impact of Outreach’s enhanced presence on the web through its new social media platforms is also presented.

The report is available on the ICTY website in English, French and Bosnian/Serbian /Croatian and will be distributed to the Outreach Programme’s stakeholders in the region of the former Yugoslavia and worldwide.

The Outreach Programme was created in 1998 for the purpose of explaining the work of the Tribunal and its relevance in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. As the first programme of its kind, the Tribunal’s Outreach Programme set a precedent for other criminal tribunals which have since set up similar initiatives. The Programme benefits from the continuous support of the European Union, while a number of other donors have supported selected activities.