Concerns over lack of choice of ICC budget experts

The CBF is an independent body that examines financial, budgetary and administrative documents submitted by the ICC to the Assembly of States Parties (ASP)—made up of the ICC’s 122 member states.

The CBF’s budgetary recommendations should be used to set the ICC’s annual budget and resources.

The ability of the Court and its organs to carry out its work—and ultimately to remain an independent international justice mechanism—is based on the Committee’s findings.

The importance of a competitive pool of candidates for the upcoming elections, to ensure that the CBF is composed of highly qualified and independent individuals, therefore cannot be underestimated.

During its twice annual sessions, the CBF must consider and recommend the resources that the Court requires to fulfill its various prosecutorial, judicial and organizational requirements, as well as its obligations to defendants and victims.

The final ICC budget is then agreed upon by ICC member states at the ASP’s annual meeting—taking place this year from 8-17 December in New York. Yet the budget process is year-long and often politically fraught

The CBF is made up of 12 members, nominated and selected by the ASP based on equitable geographic representation.

Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean are allocated two Committee members each. Western Europe and “other states” have four spots between them.

In this latest round of nominations, these criteria were only just fulfilled. Meanwhile, the original 31 August deadline for nominations had to be extended as only five names had been put forward.

The nominees for the election at the 13th ASP this December are:

• Hugh Adsett (Canada);
• Fawzi Gharaibeh (Jordan);
• Young Sok Kim (Republic of Korea);
• Hitoshi Kozaki (Japan);
• Rivomanantsoa Orlando Robimanana (Madagascar);
• Mónica Sánchez Izquierdo (Ecuador); and
• Elena Sopková (Slovakia)

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