A/HRC/12/19 page 15 comply with these conditions can result in warnings and expulsion from the programme. Participants can exit programmes voluntarily, but they are then totally responsible for their own security, and have to complete their obligations to testify. Criminal activity while in the programme can result in expulsion. All these measures should be applied in conformity with international human rights standards. 53. The experience of the Witness and Victims Section (WVS) of the Special Court for Sierra Leone showed that both the pre-testimony and the testimonial phases are crucial to developing confidence and a good relationship between the witnesses and the WVS staff. It also revealed the importance of providing clear and consistent instructions to witnesses on what they will receive, and of assisting witnesses in gaining familiarity with the courtroom and confidence about their testimony and during the testimony period, particularly when witnesses have to travel from their place of origin to the court. In those cases, best practices should recognize the impact that the testimony has on the witness’s family, and must provide family members with financial support and communication between the witness and his/her family must be ensured throughout their stay in the court.12 54. The ultimate goal of a programme should be a safe and secure exit from it. The programme should have mechanisms that will inform the programme operators when a witness’s obligations to testify have been exhausted and will provide periodic threat and risk assessments, not only to determine if the level of protection is adequate, but also when or if the threat no longer exists. These mechanisms should also be designed to determine when or if formal protection can be replaced by self-protection behaviours. Further, more pathways for participants’ integration into communities should be designed to make them self-sufficient and able to exist unsupported once the level of risk has diminished to a level where self-protection only is necessary. E. Relocation for witness protection 55. International relocation is the last resort of a witness protection programme. In such a case, international cooperation and formal agreements between the requesting State or organization and the proposed accepting State need to be concluded. This agreement should set out the obligations of both parties under the agreement, the procedures to be adopted, etc. The requirements of the requesting organization must be consistent with local laws in the host country. The assistance of local officials may also be necessary to address security, health assistance, emergencies and arrangements such as immigration. 56. Relocation of participants can be an extremely traumatic event. In The Prosecutor v. German Katanga and Mathieu Chui, the Appeal Chamber of the International Criminal Court emphasized that: relocation is a serious measure ... that can have a “dramatic impact” and “serious effect” upon the life of an individual, particularly in terms of removing a witness from their normal surroundings and family ties and resettling that person into a new environment. It 12 Special Court for Sierra Leone, Best-Practice Recommendations for the Protection & Support of Witnesses, May 2008.