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  1. Day Two - Session 7: Parallel breakout sessions – The importance of access to justice for victims of terrorism

Day Two - Session 7: Parallel breakout sessions – The importance of access to justice for victims of terrorism

Banner of the Day Two Programme page of the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism

 

Session 7: Parallel breakout sessions – The importance of access to justice for victims of terrorism

16:20 - 17:35

 

Access to justice concerns the specific rights of victims in criminal litigation, including appropriate assistance and support before, during, and after criminal proceedings, including the awareness of due process and charges; the right to be treated with fairness and respect for their dignity and privacy; and safety from intimidation and retaliation, in particular when serving as witnesses. Two parallel sessions highlighted the importance of a victim-centric approach to access to justice and the right to reparation (including compensation and restitution).

 

Breakout Session 7 A: Safe participation of victims of terrorism in criminal justice processes

Quick Links: Session and Statements | Speakers | Survey

 

Breakout Session 7 B: Reparation (compensation and restitution)

Quick Links: Session and Statements | Speakers | Survey

Breakout Session 7 A: Safe participation of victims of terrorism in criminal justice processes

16:20 - 17:35

Room: CR.1

 

Like any victim of crime, the place and role of victims of terrorism in a terrorism-related criminal justice process depends on the legal system of the country, and on their own varying needs, expectations, and willingness to participate. Victim participation in legal proceedings can promote individual healing and rehabilitation by providing victims with a sense of agency, empowerment, and closure. By allowing a victim to participate in the proceedings, justice can take on a more personal dimension, permitting victims to express their views and concerns, to tell their story, to “experience” justice and to seek reparation. This session highlighted the needs of victims of terrorism to safely participate in victim-centric judicial proceedings to ensure that appropriate advice, assistance, care, facilities and support are provided to every victim throughout the criminal justice process in a manner that prevents revictimization and secondary victimization. 

 

Session and Statements for Breakout session 7 A

Time Sessions

Friday, 09 September
16:20 – 17:35

Moderator:

  • Mr. Masood Karimipour, Chief, Terrorism Prevention Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Panelists:

  • Ms. Nancy Valle Salazar, Member of 13Onze15: Fraternité et Vérité and victim of terrorism, Chile
  • Mr. Drissa Traore, Senior Consultant on the Sahel and Projects Coordinator, International Federation for Human Rights, Mali
  • Ms. Andria Kerney, Director, Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism, Department of Justice, United States of America
  • Ms. Hadeel Abdel Aziz, Executive Director, Justice Center for Legal Aid, Jordan

Questions and Observations from the floor

Interventions

Breakout Session 7 B: Reparation (compensation and restitution)

16:20 - 17:35

Room: CR.1

 

The right to reparation under international law applies to all persons who have suffered harm as the result of a terrorist act without discrimination. This session addressed the existing framework on reparations and outlined how reparations may include monetary compensation, return of property, rehabilitation, medical support, victims' services centres, or symbolic measures such as apologies or memorials. It also highlighted the important role of civil society and non-governmental organizations, detailed best practices for State-funded compensation schemes, particularly those independent from trial outcomes, and highlighted the importance of equitable compensation for victims with additional vulnerabilities and needs.

 

Session and Statements for Breakout session 7 B

Time Sessions

Friday, 09 September
16:20 – 17:35

Moderator:

  • Mr. Edward J. Flynn, Chief, Terrorism Prevention Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Panelists:

  • Dr. Fatima Ali Haider, Founder, The Grief Directory and victim of terrorism, Pakistan
  • Mr. Hassan Ndugwa, Executive Director, Uganda Muslim Youth Development Forum and victim of terrorism, Uganda (TBC)
  • Ms. Esther Dingemans, Executive Director, Global Survivors’ Fund
  • Ms. Frédérique Calandra, Head, Inter-Ministerial Delegation for Victim Support (DIAV), France
  • Ms. Paula Gaviria, Former Director of the Special Administrative Unit for Victims Care and Reparations, Colombia

Questions and Observations from the floor

Interventions

  • Mr. Mustapha Bouzidi, victim of terrorism, Morocco
  • Mr. Carlos Amorin, Permanent Representative, Uruguay
  • H. E. Ms. Hamadou Amadou Souley, Minister, Niger

 

 

 

 

Speakers for Breakout session 7 A

Image of Mr. Masood Karimipour at the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism 2022

Mr. Masood Karimipour

Chief, Terrorism Prevention Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Mr. Karimpour has been a trial attorney, criminal justice policy advisor, and rule of law development manager for 34 years. He currently serves as Chief of the Terrorism Prevention Branch, in the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, based in Vienna. He has also served as UNODC Special Advisor on Strategic Coordination in Vienna; as UNODC Regional Representative for Middle East and North Africa, based in Cairo; as UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia, based in Tashkent; as Senior Judicial Affairs Officer in the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan based in Khartoum; and as the Chief of Team for the US State Department Afghanistan Justice Sector Support Programme, based in Kabul.

Image of Ms. Nancy Valle Salazar at the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism 2022

Ms. Nancy Valle Salazar

Member of 13Onze15: Fraternité et Vérité and victim of terrorism, Chile

Image of Mr. Drissa Traore at the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism 2022

Mr. Drissa Traore

Senior Consultant on the Sahel and Projects Coordinator, International Federation for Human Rights, Mali

Mr. Traoré is a Senior Consultant on the Sahel and Projects Coordinator on Mali for International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH). Previously he worked for an AMDH-FIDH Joint Programme as its National Coordinator. His work is on documentation & monitoring of human rights violations, including violence linked to terrorism & legal assistance to victims. Mr. Traoré has previously carried out missions at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague (Netherlands), and missions in Africa, America & Europe. He participated in various UNCCT meetings that led to the development of Handbook of Good practices to support victims Association in Africa and the Middle East in 2018.

Image of Ms. Andria Kerney at the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism 2022

Ms. Andria Kerney

Director, Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism, Department of Justice, United States of America

Andria A. Kerney is the Director of the Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism in the National Security Division of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ/OVT). DOJ/OVT supports U.S. victims of terrorism overseas by helping them navigate foreign criminal justice systems and by advocating for their voices to be heard around the world. Andria has experience as a deputy prosecutor, in private practice, and international development and rule of law activities - including those involving terrorism victims’ rights and recognized best practices.

Image of Ms. Hadeel Abdel Aziz at the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism 2022

Ms. Hadeel Abdel Aziz

Executive Director, Justice Center for Legal Aid, Jordan

Hadeel Abdel Aziz is a founding member and the Executive Director of the Justice Center for Legal Aid (JCLA). since 2010, Hadeel has held the position of executive director. With over 20 years of practical experience, she has mainly focused in judicial reform, court automation and access to justice projects. JCLA has been specifically dedicated towards supporting access to justice through establishing a national network of legal aid clinics and advocating for an institutionalized state funded legal aid system in Jordan. Through her studies, Hadeel has become the first Jordanian to be certified as a judicial administrator by Michigan State University.

Speakers for Breakout session 7 B

Image of Mr. Edward J. Flynn at the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism 2022

Mr. Edward J. Flynn

Senior Human Rights Officer, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED)

Edward J. Flynn is the Senior Human Rights Officer with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED). Prior to joining CTED, Mr. Flynn was adviser on human rights and counter-terrorism at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He previously served with OHCHR from 1996-2003 as coordinator for human rights programs in Europe, Central Asia and North America, concentrating on field operations in the Balkans. He was a UN human rights field officer in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and before that in Haiti. Prior to joining the UN, he worked as a lawyer with non-profit agencies representing refugees in the United States.

Image of Dr. Fatima Ali Haider at the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism 2022

Dr. Fatima Ali Haider

Founder, The Grief Directory and victim of terrorism, Pakistan

A general physician and EMDR therapist by training, Dr Haider holds an MSc. Degree in Peace and Conflict. After losing her husband and son in a terrorist incident, she co-founded The Grief Directory in 2015. Her work focuses on countering terrorism and violent extremism by providing support to sufferers of terrorism and promoting tolerance and harmony by engaging the wider society especially young Pakistanis. Dr Haider was a member of the expert group for the drafting of the Model Legislative Provisions. Her areas of special interest are women and youth empowerment in conflict settings. Her PhD research aims to document the experiences of women victims of terrorism in Pakistan.

Image of Mr. Hassan Ndugwa at the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism 2022

Mr. Hassan Ndugwa

Executive Director, Uganda Muslim Youth Development Forum and victim of terrorism, Uganda (TBC)

Mr. Hassan Ndugwa is the Executive Director of the Uganda Muslim Youth Development Forum an organization he co-founded after surviving the July 2010 Al-Shabaab bombings in Kampala. His work focuses on strengthening youth, women and religious leaders’ capacities in conflict resolution, peacebuilding and the prevention of violent extremism. He is a USIP Generation Change Global Fellow, a 2015 Mandela Washington Fellow in the University of Delaware and he is an Extremely Together Leader under the Kofi Annan Foundation. He has conducted research on topics related to youth and women participation in governance, peacebuilding and violent extremism.

Image of Ms. Esther Dingemans at the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism 2022

Ms. Esther Dingemans

Executive Director, Global Survivors’ Fund

Esther Dingemans is Executive Director at the Global Survivors Fund, an organisation founded by Nobel Peace Laureates Dr. Denis Mukwege and Ms. Nadia Murad which works to enhance access to reparations for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence around the globe. Esther is also the Founding Director and Special Advisor of the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation where she developed the organisation’s work on holistic care for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. Prior to this, Esther led humanitarian programmes in the field of conflict-related sexual violence for NGOs and UN agencies in countries around the world. Her areas of expertise include community-driven projects and survivor-centred reparations.

Image of Ms. Frédérique Calandra at the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism 2022

Ms. Frédérique Calandra

Head, Inter-Ministerial Delegation for Victim Support (DIAV), France

Frédérique Calandra was appointed Inter-ministerial Delegate for Victim Support by the French President Emmanuel Macron from 9 August 2020. Attached to the Ministry of Justice, the Interministerial Delegate for Victim Support is responsible for coordinating the actions of the various ministries in terms of monitoring, supporting and compensating victims of terrorism, mass accidents, natural disasters, criminal offences. She is also responsible for their relations with victims' associations and victim support organisations. She ensures the effectiveness and improvement of victim support mechanisms.

Image of Ms. Paula Gaviria at the UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism 2022

Ms. Paula Gaviria

Former Director of the Special Administrative Unit for Victims Care and Reparations, Colombia

Director of the Compaz Foundation, Member of the United Nations High Level Panel on Displacement, MIRPS Expert Group and the Panel of Experts of the International Commission on Missing Persons ICMP. She is a lawyer and journalism specialist, with postgraduate degrees in public opinion and political marketing. She was Presidential Advisor for Human Rights and Director of the Victims Unit. She actively participated in the construction of the point on victims' rights in the Final Peace Agreement signed between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP, where she promoted a leading role for victims and the inclusion of their voices in the dialogue process.