Discussions focused on the following:
- With progress on the establishment of the new CoA Special Tribunal, attention would turn to financing and operationalising through the Enlarged Partial Agreement; and encouraging other states to join.
- Coordination and the functions of existing accountability mechanisms. Close cooperation between Ukraine, the CoA Special Tribunal, ICC and Council of Europe would be essential.
- Communications and outreach. It would continue to be important to clarify the relationship between the CoA Special Tribunal and other legal mechanisms and architecture such as the ICC and the Register of Damage; and how it was but one part of the ‘web of accountability’.
- Given the multitude of initiatives and actors working to support accountability work, clarity was needed on what specific support is needed and what has already been provided.
- The need for a more systematic approach to tracking perpetrators (similar to the ICTR/ICC tracking programme).
Recommendations
- At OPG request, a donor review should be commissioned to map current international support and assistance to the criminal justice system. This could be by way of an independent review commissioned by the OPG and led by an international expert, with a view to helping to identify what is working well, where the gaps are and where duplication could be avoided.
- Communicating the impact of accountability and justice efforts in a timely, accurate and resonant way should be the work of all stakeholders. Fora should be created to enable multidisciplinary dialogues between relevant stakeholders (creatives, donors, lawyers, parliamentarians, states, civil society, arts bodies, psychologists, journalists, communication experts and others) to facilitate accurate, creative and timely narratives that resonate with the public.