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THE CATALYTIC POWER of REPARATIONS | 15Th Anniversary – 16 December 2020

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THE CATALYTIC POWER of REPARATIONS | 15Th Anniversary – 16 December 2020 The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in collaboration with Impunity Watch, CORDIALLY INVITES YOU TO AN ONLINE EVENT THE CATALYTIC th 15 Anniversary POWER OF 16 December REPARATIONS 2020 Marking the 15th Anniversary of the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Wednesday, 16 December | 2:30pm to 4:30pm, Geneva, CET PARTICIPATION via zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89401620877 OPENING REMARKS WELCOMING REMARKS Mrs. Michelle Bachelet, UN High Mr. Fabrizio Hochschild, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General Commissioner for Human Rights for the Commemoration of the United Nations’ 75th Anniversary KEYNOTE ADDRESS "Towards the future of reparations: Prof. Theo van Boven, former Director of UN Division of Human Rights a historical, forward-looking perspective" and one of the founding fathers and drafters of the Basic Principles Mrs. Emma Molina Theissen, Guatemala, Human Rights Advocate PANEL DISCUSSION Mrs. Fatna El Bouih, Moroccan Observatory of Prisons “Voices of victims and survivors”, Mrs. Isabelhina de Jesus Pinto, Timor-Leste, Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) moderated by Mrs. Marlies Stappers, Mr. Ram Bhandari, International Network of Victims and Survivors of Serious Executive Director, Impunity Watch Human Rights Abuses CONTRIBUTIONS BY MEMBERS OF CLOSING REMARKS TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE MECHANISMS Mrs. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide Mr. Mirak Raheem, Commissioner, Office of Missing Persons, Sri Lanka Mrs. Sihem Bensedrin, Former Chair, Truth and MODERATOR Dignity Commission, Tunisia Mrs. Peggy Hicks, Director, OHCHR The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in collaboration with Impunity Watch, CORDIALLY INVITES YOU TO AN ONLINE EVENT THE CATALYTIC th 15 Anniversary POWER OF 16 December REPARATIONS 2020 Marking the 15th Anniversary of the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law On 16 December 2005, the General Assembly adopted the ‘Basic victims and how their right to remedy and reparation can become a Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and reality. The initiative seeks to make the significant impact that Reparation’, marking a milestone in the lengthy process towards the reparations can have on the life of victims and entire societies visible framing and affirmation of victim-oriented policies and practices in and understandable, highlighting its transformative potential and how the fight against impunity for serious violations. This event reparations – together with truth-seeking, criminal justice and the celebrates the 15th anniversary of this achievement but also seeks broad spectrum of measures to prevent recurrence – are key on the to highlight the glaring gap that persists between the normative path towards stability, rule of law, development and sustaining framework and the implementation of the right to reparation. peace. It will encourage States, as duty holders, to learn from Practice continues to show that victims of serious violations are victims’ experiences and recommit to the fulfilment of their rights. frequently left with nothing. This not only bluntly contradicts the often emphasized victim-centered approach of accountability and The series of events will highlight, jointly with a broad array of civil transitional justice; it also undermines long-term endeavours society and victims’ organizations, different aspects of the catalytic towards reconciliation, sustaining peace and the prevention of power of reparations, sharing experiences, offering reflection and recurrence. identifying lessons learned. The contributions will be captured and made available online. Over the next 12 months, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will organize a series of events to place the focus on The launch event will feature contributions from: OPENING REMARKS Michelle Bachelet UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet assumed her functions as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in September 2018. Ms. Bachelet was elected President of Chile for two terms (2006-2010 and 2014-2018). She was the first female president of Chile. She also served as Health Minister (2000- 2002), as well as Chile’s and Latin America’s first female Defense Minister (2002-2004). In 2011-2013, she was the first Executive Director of UN Women, leading the UN’s work for the rights of women and girls. Michelle Bachelet has a Medical Degree in Surgery, with a specialization in Pediatrics and Public Health. She also studied military strategy at Chile's National Academy of Strategy and Policy and at the Inter-American Defense College in the United States. WELCOMING REMARKS Fabrizio Hochschild Special Adviser of the UN Secreary-General on the Preparations for the Commemoration of the UN’s 75th Anniversary In his current role, Mr. Hochschild is coordinating the preparation for the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations in 2020 and related celebrations, through a system-wide process of consultations and reflections on the role of the United Nations in advancing international co- operation and in supporting Member States’ ability to respond to emerging challenges and frontier issues. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Hochschild served as Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (2017-2019). Previously, Mr. Hochschild served as Deputy Special Representative for the UN peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in 2016, UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Colombia from 2013 to 2016, as Director of the Field Personnel Division for the United Nations from 2010 to 2012, and as Chief of Field Operations and Technical Cooperation in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Geneva from 2005 to 2009. He started his career in 1988 with UNHCR and served in various field settings, including Sudan, Jerusalem, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Geneva, New York, Timor-Leste, Serbia and the United Republic of Tanzania. A graduate of the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, he has published studies and articles on leadership, on the protection of civilians, on transitional justice and reconciliation among other topics. KEYNOTE ADDRESS Prof. Theo van Boven, Honorary Professor of International Law at the International & European Law Department Maastricht University From 2001 to 2004, Theo van Boven was UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. Earlier he served as Director of the then UN Division of Human Rights (today the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) and was a member of the UN Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and of the Committee on the Elimination of Racism and Discrimination. He was also the first Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. He was the Head of the Netherlands delegation to the UN Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of an International Criminal Court. He was President of the Netherlands Association of International Law; Member of the International Commission of Jurists; and a member of the Board of the International Movement against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism. As director of the UN Division of Human Rights, van Boven argued that concern for human rights should not be a marginal activity within the UN system, but should become the core element of development strategies on all levels. He was also a strong advocate for an equal and consistent approach vis-à-vis the human rights situation in countries across all continents. As Special Rapporteur on the Right to Reparation to Victims of Gross Violations of Human Rights, he was instrumental in the development of the ‘Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law’, often referred to as the ‘van Boven Principles’. PANEL DISCUSSION Emma Molina Theissen, Guatemalan survivor and human rights advocate Ms. Molina Theissen is a Guatemalan human rights advocate. In 1981, at the age of 21, she was arrested by members of the military and subsequently detained at a military base where she was tortured and abused. She eventually managed to escape but, in retaliation, her brother was taken by military officials a little later – something she was unaware of at the time. His fate and whereabouts remain unknown unknown to this day. In May 2018, a Guatemalan High-Risk Court convicted four high level military officials. The court unanimously found the four officials guilty of crimes against humanity and aggravated sexual assault against Ms. Molina Theissen and three of them guilty of the enforced disappearance of her brother, Marco Antonio Molina Theissen, sentencing them to 33 to 58 years in prison. Ms. Molina Theissen and her family have been fighting for justice for her and her brother for over 30 years. The judgement is considered a landmark decision in Guatemala and Latin America more broadly. Currently, Ms. Molina Theissen and her family (Emma Theissen, Lucrecia and Eugenia Molina) are actively working
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