Statement by the Principal Donors Group for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

Today New York-based representatives of the Principal Donors Group (PDG) for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) completed an important 3-day visit to Phnom Penh.  The visit by the PDG – a group of key contributing countries working with the UN to support the ECCC – reinforced its commitment to the ECCC and the pursuit of justice for victims of atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime.  

The PDG witnessed first hand the breadth of collaboration between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the international community at the ECCC.  The PDG fully supports the ECCC’s mandate, which makes a significant and unique contribution to accountability and reconciliation in Cambodia.  

Important progress is being made.  The trial verdict in the first phase of Case 002 against surviving senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge, to be delivered on 7 August, will represent a major milestone in the work of the ECCC.  The next phase of the Case will cover some of the most significant charges yet heard by the ECCC, including genocide and other grave crimes committed on a national scale.  The Trial Chamber has scheduled an initial hearing for 30 July and evidentiary hearings are anticipated to start in the coming months.   In Cases 003 and 004, judicial investigations continue in respect of a large number of significant crime sites. All this work is made possible by the ECCC’s dedicated and professional staff.  

The ECCC brings to the fore a series of unique features.  Over 4,000 victims have already played an active role in the proceedings through representation as civil parties.  Through its outreach programme, some 240,000 Cambodians have visited the ECCC and millions more have followed the proceedings through television and radio coverage.  The collaboration between national and international staff seeks to ensure the ECCC will have a lasting legacy, enhance domestic capacity and generate best practices in criminal justice.  These features are particularly important for a country working to come to terms with its past.  

The PDG recognises the ongoing support for the ECCC demonstrated by the Royal Government of Cambodia.  We welcome the Government’s contribution of $1.1 million in January towards the salaries of national staff and its commitment to further fundraising efforts.  The PDG urges all States to provide further financial support to Cambodia and the UN as partners in this historic endeavour. 

The PDG will leave Cambodia with a clear sense that the ECCC continues to make significant progress in holding to account those most responsible for atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge.  The PDG will continue to support this essential mandate.

Phnom Penh, 27 June 2014 

Notes for the media:

  • The Principal Donors Group (PDG) visited the ECCC from 25-27 June.  The PDG was joined on the visit by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Expert on UN Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials, Ambassador David Scheffer, and a member of the UN Office of Legal Affairs.
  • The members of the PDG are Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, with the European Union as observer.  The PDG is a New York-based review mechanism for the donors of the ECCC, and is comprised of States that have made a significant monetary contribution and have expressed a clear political commitment to support the UN in its role in providing technical assistance to the Court.
  • The PDG was established as a review mechanism for the donors of the ECCC to monitor the Court’s progress and to provide guidance on non-judicial court related matters.  The PDG reviews the implementation of the Court’s work plan, provides strategic guidance when required, reviews the Court’s budgetary requirements, and assists the Court in its fundraising initiatives and advocacy efforts.  
  • The PDG meets in New York.  PDG members are represented by officials from their respective Missions to the United Nations in New York.
  • The PDG’s programme included meetings with representatives of the ECCC’s Supreme Court Chamber, Trial Chamber, Pre-Trial Chamber, Co-Investigating Judges and the International Co-Prosecutor.  The PDG also met with members of the Office of Administration, Defence Support Section and Civil Party Lead Co-Lawyers Section.  The PDG also held a town hall meeting with ECCC staff and met with Field Staff Union.  
  • The PDG also met with Mr. Keo Remy, Secretary of State in the Council of Ministers of the Royal Government of Cambodia.
  • The PDG met with representatives of the Cambodian diplomatic community (the Friends of the ECCC), civil society and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia.

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