German Forced Labour Compensation Programme (GFLCP)

Project Duration: 2000 - 2002

Donors: German Federal Government

As one of the partner organizations of the Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future," IOM was designated to make financial compensation available to former forced labourers and other victims of the Nazi regime.

The Organization's main responsibilities were to spread information and reach out to all potential claimants; to receive, process and review applications for compensation; to disburse compensation payments to successful applicants; and to support the appeals processes for all categories of claims received under this programme. The filing deadline expired on 31 December 2001.

The GFLCP aimed to provide compensation to persons who fell within one of the categories listed below (for purposes of this Request for Proposal, the term “slave and forced labour claims” refers to claims covering any one or more of the categories listed below):

  • Slave labourers
  • Forced labourers for a company or public authority
  • Forced labourers in agriculture
  • Personal injury victims
  • Parents of a deceased child

During the six years when the programme was ongoing, IOM developed extensive and unique expertise in the area of claims and reparation services. Activities included:

  • Assisting with the information campaign of the programme
  • Receiving, processing and reviewing applications for compensation
  • Disbursing compensation payments to successful applicants
  • Providing technical and legal support to the three-member Property Claims Commission
  • Setting up of an appeals body that received and processed appeals

IOM processed more than 400,000 claims and decided positively on 90,000 slave and forced labour claims, 1,656 claims for other personal injury and 35,000 claims for property loss. Helping the elderly victims to finally receive and benefit from the compensation awards during their lifetime was a key objective of the Organization and its GFLCP.

In all the countries covered by the project, in the period August 2000–May 2002, a total of 311,225 cases were received, of which 280,620 were deemed eligible. In Belgrade, in the mentioned period, a total of 13,043 cases were received, of which 12,316 were eligible (217+ cases for property loss).

Project Status: Completed