The Hague-New York/Santo Domingo-Stockholm-Vienna, 15 July 2020
The Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims at the ICC, established by the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC, announced a new member: Dr. Minou Tavárez Mirabal, human rights activist and politician from the Dominican Republic who has been a Member of Parliament and Deputy-Minister for Foreign Affairs and is currently Vice-President of the political party “Alianza País.” Ms. Tavárez Mirabal served as President of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) from 2014 to 2016 and was a leading champion of PGA’s advocacy on international justice, human rights and equality.
The President of PGA, Ms. Margareta Cederfelt, MP (Sweden) stated today in Stockholm:
Minou Tavárez Mirabal is an outstanding leader of the global movement for international justice and human rights. The history of her family, marked by criminal assassination by the dictatorship of her mother and two aunts that led the United Nations General Assembly declaring 25 November the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, represents a model of resistance and resilience against oppression and crimes against humanity that brings hope for the future of human-kind. Minou’s track-record in favour of democracy, justice and human development will bring an invaluable contribution to the mandate of the Trust Fund for Victims at the ICC, and carry forward the important work of her predecessor, Dr. Felipe Michelini of Uruguay.
The Chairperson of the PGA International Council, Dip. Ito Bisono (Dominican Republic) highlighted that
Minou has been supported by the entire membership of the Dominican Parliament. The nomination took place on 30 June 2020 in the midst of a heated electoral campaign, in which the Government and the opposition demonstrated a great sense of unity in support of her nomination, as testified by the mobilization of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in June 2020.
On 29 May 2020, Dip. Bisono had obtained the unanimous endorsement of the PGA Board, consisting of elected Parliamentarians from all regions of the world, for the Dominican nominee.
Former President of the Senate and PGA Member Sen. Julio Cesar Valentin (Dominican Republic) played an essential role in the process that led to Dr. Tavárez Mirabal’s nomination, stating:
I had the honour to write to the Government and Parliament of my country to urge the Government to nominate Minou Tavárez Mirabal to the position that our sorely missed Uruguayan colleague Felipe Michelini left vacant after his tragic death in Montevideo in April 2020. Together with our colleagues from the global network of Parliamentarians for Global Action, we believed that the best possible way to honor Felipe’s legacy, who received an official tribute by the Congress of Uruguay, was to make sure that an influential voice on behalf of victims of atrocity-crimes was elected to the position belonging to the Latin American and Caribbean group of States in the Trust Fund for Victims.
The global network of PGA will continue to work in support of the Trust Fund to ensure that its crucial mandate on reparations and assistance to victims is fulfilled. The Convenor of PGA’s International Law & Human Rights Program, Ms. Petra Bayr, MP (Austria), stated:
At a time in which the ICC is under attack by certain States, it is more and more important for the system of institutions set up by the Rome Statute of 17 July 1998 to show effectiveness and capacity to respond to the demand for justice, truth and reparations coming from victims and communities directly affected by mass atrocity crimes and aggressive wars. We, at Parliamentarians for Global Action, will continue to stand with the Court, its Trust Fund for Victims and the domestic jurisdictions of States in order to put an end to impunity and ensure access to justice and reparations for the victims of the most serious crimes of international concern.
PARLIAMENTARIANS FOR GLOBAL ACTION (PGA), the largest non-governmental, cross-party, international network of individual legislators, mobilizes parliamentarians as human rights champions committed to promoting the rule of law, democracy, human security, gender equality and inclusion. The organization’s vision is to contribute to the creation of a rules-based international order for a more equitable, safe and democratic world.
PGA’s Campaign for the Rome Statute of the ICC aims to promote the universalization of the Rome Statute and the effective exercise of primary jurisdiction by States and of complementary jurisdiction by the International Criminal Court (ICC). It seeks to contribute to ending impunity by advancing access to justice for victims through the universal ratification and effective implementation of the Rome Statute and Kampala Amendments in national jurisdictions. PGA has contributed to the ratification of 78 out of 123 State Parties to the Rome Statute and its domestic implementation in 36 countries. PGA’s Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the International Criminal Court and the Rule of Law (CAP-ICC) is the largest gathering of parliamentarians on this issue. Due to this campaign, PGA is widely recognized as the parliamentary network that works in international justice. The PGA Rome Statute Campaign receives the support of the European Union, the Oak Foundation and the Governments of The Netherlands, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
PGA Contact:
Dr. David Donat Cattin,
PGA Secretary-General,
donat@pgaction.org
