8,000 young people from the region learned about the work of the ICTY

The Outreach Programme of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) recently concluded the third phase of presentations in secondary schools and lectures at universities about the mandate and achievements of the International Tribunal, which included a total of 2,332 students across the former Yugoslavia, it was announced, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

The Outreach Programme project aimed at young people is part of the ICTY's continuous efforts to reach out to young generations across the region and provide them with information about the work of the International Tribunal, as well as broader issues of transitional justice and post-conflict reconstruction.

Starting in December 2013, representatives of the Outreach Programme visited 26 secondary schools and held 24 lectures at universities across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo. Young people had the opportunity to talk with ICTY staff and watch multimedia presentations with recordings of testimonies and exhibits presented during the trials.

In addition, an 'educator training' program was organized for professors from five high schools in Sarajevo to equip them to continue discussions about the work of the International Tribunal in the schools where they teach.

To date, this project, launched in December 2011, has reached more than 8,000 students across the region.

The Outreach Programme is supported by the European Union, and its work with young people in the former Yugoslavia is generously supported by the Government of Finland.