A/HRC/36/50/Add.1 gather and verify information, create a historical record of events and provide the basis for further investigation.43 59. Finally, in many countries, historical research has played an important role in demystifying the past, with many countries developing resources for historical inquiry. Germany has been a leader through its investigations of the workings of the repressive and genocidal Nazi state. In Morocco, the National Human Rights Council has supported the development of contemporary historical research in Moroccan universities. 44 D. Advances in reparations 60. Reparations are material and symbolic benefits distributed either to individuals or to groups, intended to recognize and redress the violation of human rights, which can be shattering for victims and have long-lasting effects with ripples felt by many persons and even across generations. They are typically the only measure designed to benefit victims directly. 1. Right to reparation 61. There has been significant progress at the normative level in establishing the rights of victims to reparations. The legal basis for a right to a remedy and reparation has been enshrined in a variety of international human rights, international humanitarian law and international criminal law instruments. Treaty bodies and national, regional and international courts have considered a large number of both individual cases and group claims arising from periods of mass violations, and have developed a rich jurisprudence that confirms that the State obligation to provide reparation extends far beyond monetary compensation to encompass such additional requirements as: public investigation and prosecution; legal reform; restitution of liberty, employment or property; medical care; and expressions of public apology and official recognition of the State’s responsibility for violations. 62. The adoption by the General Assembly of the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law by consensus in 2005 was a milestone. These Principles have helped catalyse a better understanding of the right to reparation and guide action in this domain. 2. Massive administrative programmes 63. An important advancement has been the development and diffusion of the model of massive administrative programmes. Countries in every region of the world have opted for such programmes, including ones already mentioned, such as Argentina, Chile, Germany, Morocco, Nepal and the United States, as well as many others, including Canada, Guatemala, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Spain and Uruguay. 64. Large-scale administrative programmes respond to a large universe of cases rather than the judicial resolution of individual, isolated cases. Instead of trying to tailor remedies to individual losses or harms suffered, administrative programmes distribute the same benefit to all individuals within particular classes, determined by the type of violations, allowing only for some variations along predetermined axes such as the intensity, duration or effect of the violation. The whole point is to make the programme expeditious, accessible and effective as a redress mechanism for large universes of victims. So, while these programmes do not deliver “perfect justice”, some of them have successfully provided significant benefits to thousands and in some cases tens of thousands of victims 43 44 OHCHR, “Commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions on international human rights law and humanitarian law: guidance and practice” (2015), p. v and 2-3. www.cndh.ma/fr/actualites/table-thematique-sur-lhistoire-des-propositions-pour-developper-etdiffuser-les. 13