SUMMARY DAY THREE

Budget, Vetting for ICC elections and  the ICC Review take center stage on ASP21 Day Three

21st session of the Assembly of States Parties 2022, The Hague, The Netherlands 

7 December 2022 

Plenary on Budget, Vetting

Day three of ASP21 opened on Wednesday 7 December with a plenary meeting dedicated to the presentation of the 2023 ICC budget proposal and the consideration of Audit reports. The ICC Registrar and the Chair of the Committee on Budget and Finance (CBF) took the floor to present the Court’s 2023 Budget. The Court has proposed a total annual budget of €186 million for 2023, which represents an increase of 20.6% over the 2022 budget, while the CBF has recommended States Parties adopt a budget with an increase of 16%.

ICC Registrar Peter Lewis spoke on behalf of the Court to present the 2023 proposed programme budget, and addressed the issue of liquidity. He announced that due to advanced payments by some States, and the use of the contingency fund, which has been depleted, the Court has avoided a liquidity shortfall, and will be able to ensure their work until the end of the year.

This was then followed by the consideration of the Audit report.

The session continued with the presentation of the Lessons Learned Report by the facilitators on the third election of the Prosecutor of the ICC, which among other points highlighted that vetting candidates to ICC elections has been widely recognized as necessary by ICC states parties and civil society during the consultations.. The facilitators expressed appreciation for the engagement of civil society in the process.  Read more about our work on elections here.

Mr Saklaine Hedaraly, head of the Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM), then presented the IOM Annual Report. Mr Hedaraly reflected on the Mechanism’s involvement in the development of due diligence processes for the ICC deputy prosecutor and registrar elections, and expressed the IOM’s availability to contribute to the development of a permanent vetting process.

Before the lunch break, States Parties had informal closed consultations on the budget of the ICC for 2023.

Afternoon session: Review of the ICC and Rome Statute system

The afternoon plenary session was dedicated to the Review Mechanism. Numerous States Parties welcomed participation and contributions by civil society in the Review Process. During the session, the Coalition Review Team took the floor to provide recommendations on the future of the Review process, and recalling the fundamental principles which should continue to guide the process. Human Rights Watch then took the floor to recommend further principles by which the process should be led in 2023 and beyond.

In the afternoon, States continued consultations on the Budget, and on what is called the “Omnibus resolution," a resolution which addresses a wide range of substantive, practical, and policy issues in relation to the Court, the ASP, and other stakeholders.

 

Side/other events

Wednesday also saw a large number of side events. The Coalition for the ICC co-hosted the event Countering the Global Crackdown on Human Rights Defenders and Civil Society: What Role for the ICC and States Parties?,” a discussion organized with Chile, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, Al-Haq, Open Society Foundations (OSF), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), and Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ).

During the event, human rights defenders explained the challenges they face for doing their work for justice, and shared their expectations on what the ICC and the ASP should do to protect them. “A simple statement by the institution to say that HRDs are playing a crucial role can provide the required protection we need and it  does not cost a lot,” added one of the panelists.

Representatives from States Parties acknowledged the important role that Human Rights Defenders and the Coalition for the ICC play in the Rome Statute system.

The full list of side events can be found here