At a Roundtable Discussion in Kigali on Friday, IBUKA (National Association of Survivor’s Organisations) and the Rwanda Civil Society Platform (RCSP) signed the Joint Declaration on the Rights to Reparation for Survivors of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
The Joint Declaration on the Rights to Reparation for Survivors of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda was developed by IBUKA and the RCSP to highlight both the issue of reparations in Rwanda and the urgent need to establish an International Trust Fund for Survivors of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
With the closure of the gacaca courts and the upcoming termination of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), IBUKA and the RCSP affirm the right to reparation for genocide survivors in Rwanda, according to the UN Basic Principles and Guidelines.
The Joint Declaration outlines different forms of reparation and compensation that Rwanda’s survivor communities are legally entitled to – both tangible and symbolic.
While IBUKA and the RCSP applaud the Government of Rwanda’s work in the area of assistance for genocide survivors, they are calling on the Government of Rwanda and the international community to recognize and address the survivors’ need for reparation and justice. For this reason, the Joint Declaration strongly supports the establishment of the International Trust Fund, which would provide survivors with a reliable mechanism for reparation and compensation.
It is only through reparation that reconciliation and self-reliance can truly be achieved in Rwanda.