The International Criminal Court’s Role in Funding Reparation Projects: a critical appraisal through the Lubanga case

This thesis examines the emergence of the right to reparation in the international sphere and the functioning of the International Criminal Court (ICC), with a particular focus on the Trust Fund for Victims. Starting from the ICC’s first conviction in 2012 against Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, the study explores the political and social context of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the crimes were committed. The analysis then turns to the reparation project funded by the Court following the conviction led by COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale, that is neither an emergency nor a development project, but a pioneering effort in the field of reparations. Drawing on the accounts of successive project managers, the perspective of COOPI’s area coordinator in the DRC, and available documentation, the thesis evaluates the project’s successes and shortcomings in its implementation.