UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Development Program (UNDP) support the Initiative for RECOM

 On November 15, 2011, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Mr. Ivan Simonovic, held a meeting at the UN headquarters in New York with a delegation of RECOM, and expressed unequivocal support of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to the Initiative for the establishment of RECOM. Mr. Simonovic said the Office of the High Commissioner will assist in coordinating the communication between national institutions authorized to make decisions on the establishment of RECOM, the joint regional fact-finding commission on war crimes and victims.

At the meeting with the delegation of the Coalition for RECOM, held on November 16, 2011 in New York, Deputy Director of the UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Mr. Haoliang Xu, gave strong support to the Initiative for RECOM. On behalf of UNDP, Mr. Xu expressed readiness to use the organization’s presence in post-Yugoslav countries to promote the establishment of RECOM.

RECOM delegation met with the experts of the International Center for Transitional Justice to discuss the inclusion of state institutions of post-Yugoslav countries in the RECOM process. The founding of an official regional, inter-state commission for the establishment of facts about war crimes and victims depends on these national institutions.

RECOM delegation met with students of the New York School of Law and spoke about the Initiative for RECOM, specifically in the context of various civil society groups’ support.

The delegation of the Coalition for RECOM: Natasa Kandic (Humanitarian Law Center, Serbia), Igor Mekina (journalist and writer, Slovenia), Dino Mustafic (theater and film director, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Dzenana Karup-Drusko (journalist, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Daliborka Uljarevic (Center for Civic Education, Montenegro), Avni Malenica (Association of Victims “22 mai,” Kosovo), Vesna Terselic (Documenta, Croatia), Maja Micic (Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Serbia) and Mario Mazic (Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Croatia).