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20th annual ICC-NGO roundtable kicks off

The annual ICC-NGO roundtables are a crucial opportunity to strengthen the Rome Statute system of international justice. © CICC

 

Since the establishment of the ICC, consultations between Court officials and NGOs have taken place in many different fora.

The four days of roundtable meetings at ICC headquarters are particularly important and unique as they allow for frank dialogue between civil society organizations from all over the world and the various Court organs and officials

 

Staff from the PresidencyOffice of the Prosecutor and Registry, as well as the Trust Fund for Victims secretariat will all take part. Organs heads and the newly-elected Presidency will participate periodically throughout the week.

Court representatives will provide a general update on their activities where appropriate, while NGOs comment on and discuss past, current and future activities.

During the Registry session, participants will discuss issues relating to victims’ rights, outreach to victims and affected communities, and cooperation.

The meetings with the Office of the Prosecutor will touch upon complementarity, investigations and prosecution strategies, and the implementation of the policy on sexual and gender based crimes.

Discussions with the Trust Fund secretariat will include reflections on the first reparationsdecision by the Court in the Lubanga case.

Upon closure of roundtable discussions, and to benefit from the presence of so many NGOs in The Hague, the Coalition will brief the diplomatic community on the week’s main outcomes and exchange on the most pressing issues on the ICC and Rome Statute system.

On Wednesday, 10 June, Coalition member REDRESS will host a public panel discussion entitled Improving Victim’s Participation at the ICC, organized as part of our long running Supranational Criminal Law lecture series with the Asser Institute and Grotius Centre of Leiden University.