Trust Africa is delighted to join the Trust Fund for Victims of the ICC, the Government of Mali, Civil Society Organisations, the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, and countless others in congratulating Mama Koite on her appointment to the board of the Trust Fund for Victims of the ICC.
Mama Koite is the first African woman elected to this board, and benefited from TrustAfrica’s support to promote her candidacy during the 14th Assembly of State Parties in The Hague. Mama Koite was instrumental in creating the Malian Coalition for the ICC, and has since then mobilized civil society and government officials to support the implementation of the Rome Statute in Mali.
In addition, Mama has played a key role in ensuring women had a voice during the peace negotiations, by getting women mobilized, organized, and coordinating their advocacy. One of the current projects spearheaded by Mama is the creation of safe houses for victims of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) during the war – she is going to push further for proper legislation and infrastructure to address the needs of these victims.
We believe that Mama represents the new optimism currently reshaping gender dynamics within African-led processes of transformative change. TrustAfrica is committed to generating and testing new ideas, and as such, we are proud to support Mama in this new role, which we hope will motivate women around the continent.
TrustAfrica works to secure the conditions for democracy, human rights, and equitable development on the continent. We firmly believe that that, given a well-informed citizenry and concerted advocacy by capable actors, African leaders are more likely to address the scourge of impunity. We highly commend Mama, as she continuously inspires African women to remain motivated in the pursuit of gender justice and accountability on the continent.
We congratulate Mama, once again, on her election on the Board of the Trust Fund for Victims of the ICC.
Sincerely,
Tendai Murisa, Executive Director, TrustAfrica
