ICC Programme Events
Recent events
Workshop on the International Criminal Court: a Rome Statute's implenting legislation for Malawi
26-27 February 2010
The IBA ICC Programme conducted a workshop in Malawi on the International Criminal Court (ICC) focussing on a Rome Statute’s implementing legislation for the country. Prominent members of the government and the judiciary participated in the event, including the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Hon Augustine Gracewell Mtendere, the Chief Justice of Malawi, Justice Lovemore Munlo, and the Solicitor General.
The workshop, which was attended by over 40 members of the Malawi Law Society and government representatives, gave participants an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the work of the Court and moved on to discuss implementing legislation. ICC Deputy Prosecutor Ms Fatou Bensouda presented an overview of current cases before the Court, while Mr. Akhbar Khan, Director, Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat, recalled the importance for States Parties to respect their obligations under the Rome Statute. Speakers also discussed the South African ICC Act and addressed the challenges to the adoption of an ICC implementing legislation in Malawi.
At the close of the workshop, participants agreed that Malawi had to meet its international obligations with regards to the Rome Statute. The Malawi Law Society recommended that its members engage with members of the government, civil society and the media to disseminate information about the ICC and work towards the adoption of implementing legislation.
The workshop was made possible thanks to the financial support of Open Society Initiative Southern Africa (OSISA).
Reflections on the 2010 Review Conference: legacy, impact and sustainability of the Rome Statute System
Tuesday 19 January 2010
On 19 January 2010 the IBA ICC Monitoring and Outreach Programme organised a roundtable discussion on ‘Reflections on the 2010 Review Conference: legacy, impact, and sustainability of the Rome Statute System’. The event took place on the prestigious premises of the Peace palace in The Hague and featured four prominent experts on issues related to international justice: Judge Philippe Kirsch, Ambassador Jorge Lomonaco, Ambassador Stephen Rapp and Professor William Schabas. Prior to the Roundtable Discussion, The IBA was able to secure exclusive interviews with the US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, Stephen Rapp, and the former ICC President, Philippe Kirsch on the forthcoming Review Conference and the ICC. The roundtable was moderated by Arvinder Sambei.
Discussion focused on the upcoming First Review Conference for the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which will take place in Kampala, Uganda, from May 31 to 11 June 2010. The panel began with analysis of the adoption of amendments to the Statute and moved on to evaluate the progress of international justice to date.
Definition of the crime of aggression and other amendments will no longer be an essential part of the Review Conference, which instead will focus on the relationship between states parties and what can be done in the future to strengthen it. The panel stressed that this is the result of the slow progress made by the ICC as well as deep-rooted political problems faced by the Court. The performance of the Court was perceived to be modest, and although the issue will not be discussed in detail at the Review Conference, part of the ‘stocktaking exercise’ at Kampala will be to work with the Court to make it more effective.
Finally, the panel stressed the issue of how to reinforce national legal systems to make the ICC perform as a court of last resort, and how to provide an incentive for states to try their cases within their own national system.
- View video footage of the roundtable discussion.
- Read the interview with US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, Stephen Rapp.
- Read the interview with former ICC President, Philippe Kirsch.
Making the ICC Work
Friday 20 November 2009
The IBA's ICC Monitoring and Outreach Programme hosted a reception entitled 'Making the ICC work' to launch its two latest publications before the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC, which are currently meeting at the World Forum Conference Centre in The Hague.
In her keynote remarks Judge Kimberly Prost from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) stressed the importance of implementing legislation to enable territorial states to prosecute international crimes and invited States Parties to engage in a serious discussion on this issue at the forthcoming Review Conference. The presentation of the two IBA Reports by the IBA lawyers Liliana De Marco Coenen and Lorraine Smith was followed with great interest and led to an engaging discussion on fairness of trials before the ICC and the need for capacity building of the legal profession at the national level, among other issues.
About the reports:
The 2010 Review Conference will be the first major evaluation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Rome Statute system, since the Statute cam
e into force in July 2002. In two recent publications, the IBA identifies some of the main challenges that the ICC faces in seeking to fulfil its mandate. The Quest for a Public Face (October 2009) assesses the Court’s efforts at making itself known through effective public information. The report encourages the ICC, in light of the increasing public interest generated by high-profile cases at the Court to place more emphasis on public information, proactively engage with the media and urgently develop a public information strategy. Sustaining the ICC (November 2009) examines three key issues currently facing the Court: internal coordination and governance; the need for effective and efficient judicial proceedings and the cooperation of States with the Court.
The two reports note that while there are areas in which the ICC itself must improve its performance, States can and should do more to support the Court. The IBA recommends that States, the Court and other key stakeholders use the opportunity presented by the eighth Assembly and the 2010 Review Conference to strengthen and sustain the ICC and the Rome Statute system.
IBA Annual Conference
Madrid, 4-9 October 2009
The IBA held three successful ICC sessions at its annual conference in Madrid (4-9 October 2009). The sessions brought together high profile speakers and lawyers to discuss international justice in Africa and the implementation of the Rome Statute as well as the phenomenon of child soldiers, yielding engaging and insightful debate on the ICC.
For details of the ICC sessions in Madrid click here.
Conference: Prospects for international criminal justice in Mozambique
Mozambique, 29-30 June 2009
The IBA ICC Monitoring and Outreach Programme, in partnership with the Mozambican Bar Association and the Institute for Security Studies hosted an international conference on Prospects for international criminal justice in Mozambique, in Maputo, Mozambique on 29 and 30 June 2009.
The two day high-level conference aimed to raise awareness on the Rome Statute - yet to be ratified by Mozambique - and the ICC among the Mozambican legal profession. The conference featured presentations by the highest Mozambican authorities, including the HE the Minister of Justice and the President of the Constitutional Court of Mozambique and high level ICC officials. The first day of the conference was dedicated to introducing the Rome Statute establishing the ICC and international criminal justice, while the second day was devoted to debating the relevance of the ICC and international criminal justice to Mozambique, discussing perceptions of the Court in Africa and domestic implementation of the Rome Statute in other countries. The event concluded with delegates unanimously recommending ratification of the Rome Statute by Mozambique and a call for the Mozambican Bar Association to continue working with civil society to keep the issue on the Government's agenda.
- Click here to see the agenda of the conference
- Click here to read the press release Mozambique should ratify the Rome Statute says country’s lawyers
- Click here to read newspaper coverage of the conference (in Portuguese).
Launch of sixth IBA/ICC Monitoring Report
The Hague, The Netherlands 9 June 2009
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The sixth IBA ICC monitoring report, entitled First Challenges: An assessment of landmark developments at the International Criminal Court, was launched on 9 June 2009 during a ceremony at the South African embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands. The event was hosted by the Ambassador of the South African Embassy, His Excellency Mr Peter Goosen. Former ICC President Judge Philippe Kirsch and IBAHRI Co-Chair Justice Richard Goldstone gave the keynote addresses, which were very well-received by over 70 high-level guests. The report looks at developments in the case of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, the ICC’s first trial; the arrest warrant against President Al-Bashir, the ICC’s first against a sitting head of state; and the case against Jean-Pierre Bemba, the ICC’s first case from the Central African Republic. In addition to the keynote speeches, Lorraine Smith, IBA ICC Programme Manager, gave an overview of the report. The presentations were followed by a rigorous discussion session in which detailed and relevant questions on issues related to the report and keynote speeches were addressed.
Seminar Series: Bringing the International Criminal Court to South African legal professionals
South Africa, 14 and 16 April 2009
The IBA ICC Monitoring and Outreach Programme, in collaboration with the Law Society and the General Council of the Bar of South Africa, hosted two seminars in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, on issues related to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and international justice. Each session was attended by over 50 participants from a range of backgrounds. The presentations triggered an interesting and engaging debate between the panellists and the audience discussing issues such as Africa as the sole target of ICC prosecutions, accountability in Zimbabwe, the role of regional courts, politicisation of international proceedings and the role of the UNSC, among others.
For the agendas of the seminars click here:
An article appeared in De Rebus, South Africa's Attorney's journal, written by the IBA's Liliana de Marco-Coenen and Ana-Maria Telbis, click here to read it.
Past events
The Hague Roundtable discussion on the ICC
Netherlands, November 2008
The IBA/ICC Monitoring and Outreach Programme hosted a Roundtable Discussion on "Making the International Criminal Court a Global Reality through Cooperation: Perspectives, Challenges and Strategies". The event was held on 12 November 2008 from 16:00 to 18:30 at the Academy Hall, Peace Palace in The Hague. The roundtable was comprised of a high level panel and a keynote speech from Theodor Meron, Appeals Judge at the ICTY and the ICTR, and was attended by more than one hundred participants including diplomats, judges, Court’s Officials, lawyers, and NGOs representatives.
Launch of Monitoring Report
In June 2008, the fourth IBA Monitoring Report, entitled Balancing Rights: The International Criminal Court (ICC) at a Procedural Crossroads, was launched on during a high-profile event at the official residence of His Excellency Lyn Parker, Ambassador of the United Kingdom. The launch included keynote speeches by Lord Iain Bonomy, Judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Ms Wilhelmina Thomassen, Judge at the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. The event was also attended by more than 50 participants, including diplomats, judges from the ICC and ICTY, senior ICC officials, representatives of international NGOs, lawyers and law professors.
Bar leaders visit to the ICC
The Hague, May 2008
On May 16, 2008 the IBA organised a visit to the International Criminal Court for IBA bar leaders attending the IBA mid-year meeting in Amsterdam. 50 executives from different bar associations and law societies worldwide attended the event which gave them the opportunity to meet with the President, the Registrar and the Prosecutor of the ICC. In the aftermath of the visit the IBA issued a press release reporting the event and the highlights of the discussions held on the occasion. The ICC also issued a press release on the event which is available on the ICC website. Click here to read the ICC press release.