(Rapaport…July 17, 2001) UN Secretary General Kofi Anan scaled back his request for funding of a Special Court for Sierra Leone. In a letter to the president of the Security Council released on July 16, Anan cited continued shortfalls in receiving contributions to fund the court for the first three years of operation.
The court will be mandated to try persons in Sierra Leone deemed most responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other violations of international human rights law committed since November 1996, the date of the Abidjan Peace Accord.
Revised estimates for the court’s funding requirements amount to $57 million for its first three years, including $16.8 million for the first year. Anan’s original request last October was for $84.4 million for the court’s first two years of operation, including $30.2 million for its first year. As of July 6, the UN received pledges of about $15 million for the first year and $20.4 million for the subsequent two years.
Anan said he will circulate a letter to countries that already have pledged contributions, asking them to donate to a trust fund set aside for the court’s first year costs.
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