This publication describes the practical implementation of the German compensation program for Nazi-era forced labor. The program was the result of international negotiations between German companies, the governments of the US, Germany, and Central and Eastern European countries, and victims’ representatives. It was set up in the year 2000 with a 5.2 billion Euro fund and administered by the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” and seven partner organizations. The program distributed individual compensation payments to 1.66 million beneficiaries in 89 countries.
Written by authors who were directly involved in the implementation of the program, the publication provides an insider’s perspective of the compensation program for forced labor. It examines in detail the different stages of the program, such as deciding on eligibility criteria, setting up organizational structures, outreach, processing and verifying claims, establishing audit and controls processes, as well as the necessary steps to complete such a massive program. By illustrating why and how decisions were taken and how these affected later phases of the program, the authors hope to provide insights, knowledge, and inspiration for those involved in setting up or implementing reparations programs in the future.
Finally, the publication describes the current work of the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future,” illustrating a unique way of combining compensation for past injustice with continuing work for the future.
The publication can be ordered in bookstores worldwide.
Friederike Mieth and Günter Saathoff
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Roland Bank
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Roland Bank
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Susanne Sehlbach
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Susanne Sehlbach
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Darius Pawlos and Norbert Wühler
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Norbert Wühler and Dariusz Pawlos
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Norbert Wühler and Dariusz Pawlos
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Uta Gerlant
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Norbert Wühler
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Roland Bank
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Uta Gerlant
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Ralf Possekel
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Günter Saathoff and Friederike Mieth
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Annex 1: The Law on the Creation of a Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” (“Foundation Law”)
Annex 2: Joint Statement on Occasion of the Final Plenary Meeting Concluding International Talks on the Preparation of the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” (“Joint Statement”)
Annex 3: Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany concerning the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” (“US-German Agreement”)
Annex 4: Statutes for the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future”
Annex 5: Overall Funding for the Compensation Program for Forced Labor
Annex 6: Total Payments by Partner Organizations to Beneficiaries
Annex 7: Number of Beneficiaries by Country
Annex 8: Example of IOM Claim Form and Guidelines for Claimants
Annex 9: Excerpt from IOM Document “Evidentiary Guidelines”
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