CICC PowerPoint Sept05

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Promoting a Fair, Effective and

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Presentation Overview

Part One: About the International Criminal Court (ICC)



Overview - History



Structure of the Court



Bringing a Case to the ICC



Current Investigations



Why Support the ICC?



Which Countries Have Ratified the Rome Statute?



The Role of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP)

Part Two:About the NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court



Mission – History – Objectives



What We Do – Issues and Campaigns



Regional Coordination



Our Network – Steering Committee Members



Our Supporters

Part Three: How NGOs and Individuals Can Support the ICC



What Can NGOs Do?

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Overview



Based in the Hague, the Netherlands



First permanent court capable of trying individuals accused of:

o

Genocide

o

Crimes against humanity

o

War crimes

o

Aggression (once defined)



Known as the “court of last resort”



Acts when national courts are unwilling or unable to do so

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History

_{July 17, 1998: 120 nations}

voted in favor of the adoption of the Rome Statute during the

Rome Diplomatic Conference

_{CICC members actively}

participated at conference

Photo Credit: UN

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, government officials and NGO representatives at the

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_{A special UN treaty}

ceremony marked the 60th

ratification on April 11, 2002

_{The 60}th_ratification

triggered the Rome Statute’s entry into force on July 1,

2002

Making the Court A Reality

Photo Credit:UN

Present at the treaty ceremony were (l-r) Prof. Ben Ferencz, CICC Convenor Bill Pace, President A.N.R Robinson, Prof. Cherif Bassiouni, H.E. Philippe Kirsch and UN Legal Counsel Hans Corell

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Structure of

the Court: The Presidency

_{the Court: The Presidency}

Photo Credit: ICC/CPI Wim Van Capellen

_{President: Judge Philippe}

Kirsch of Canada

_{Manages the Court, with}

the exception of the Office of the Prosecutor

_{Coordinates with the}

Prosecutor on all matters of mutual concern

ICC President Philippe Kirsch

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Structure of the Court: The Judges

ICC Judges

_{18 judges, seven of whom}

are women

_{Staggered terms of three,}

six, and nine years

_{Represent all regions of}

the world and principal legal systems from around

the world

_{As judges, they do not}

represent their states or any political parties

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Structure of the Court: The Registry

_{ICC Registrar: Bruno Cathala}

_{Principal administrative}

officer of the Court

_{Registry is responsible for}

non-judicial aspects of the administration and servicing of

the Court

ICC Registrar Bruno Cathala

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Structure of the Court: The Office of the

Prosecutor (OTP)

_{Chief Prosecutor: Luis}

Moreno-Ocampo

_{Conducts investigations}

and prosecutions of crimes that fall within the

jurisdiction of the Court

(l-r) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo with Deputy Prosecutors Ms. Fatou Bensouda and Mr. Serge Brammertz

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Bringing a Case to the ICC:

Preconditions to the Exercise of ICC Jurisdiction



Non-retroactive jurisdiction began July 1, 2002



Jurisdiction over crimes committed:

o

By nationals of States that have ratified the ICC Statute

o

On the territory of States Parties

o

Matters referred by the UN Security Council



Under the principle of complementarity, states have the primary responsibility and duty to investigate (and prosecute) alleged crimes



The Court will only act when national courts are unwilling or unable to do so (as defined in Article 17(2) and Article 17(3))

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Bringing a Case to the ICC:

Who Can Initiate Investigations Leading to

Possible ICC Prosecutions?

1.

A State Party can refer a situation to the Court

2.

The UN Security Council (under Chapter VII of the UN Charter) can refer a situation to the Court

3.

The ICC Prosecutor can begin an investigation on his or her own initiative and authority (propio motu)



However, a Pre-Trial Chamber must approve any investigation initiated by the Prosecutor

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Current Investigations

1.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

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March 2004: DRC Government referred the situation to the ICC



June 23, 2004: ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo

announced the Court's first formal investigation into alleged atrocities committed in the DRC

2.

Uganda

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December 2003: Ugandan Government referred situation in Northern Uganda to the Court



July 29, 2004: ICC Prosecutor announced the launch of a full investigation

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Current Investigations

3. Darfur (Sudan)

 _{January 2005: The International Commission of Inquiry on} Darfur, established by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, reported that there was reason to believe crimes of humanity and war crimes had been committed in Darfur

 _{March 31, 2005: UN Security Council passed SC Resolution} 1593, referring the situation in Darfur to the ICC

 _{June 6, 2005: After interviewing over 50 independent experts} and reviewing relevant documents, the ICC Prosecutor

announced the opening of a formal investigation into Darfur

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Why Support the ICC?

 _{Represents a major step forward in the fight against impunity}  _{Empowers the international community to react more rapidly}

through an impartial, permanent, international judicial mechanism

 _{Strengthens the ability of national judicial systems to address}

crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity

 _{Acts as an impartial body by preventing “victor’s justice”}

 _{Addresses the needs and contributions of victims and witnesses}  _{Provides the opportunity for victims to receive financial}

reparations through the Victims’ Trust Fund

 _{Stands as a deterrent against future atrocities}

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Which 99 Countries Have Ratified the Rome Statute?

20

27

12 26

14

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The Assembly of States Parties (ASP)

_{President of ASP: HRH Prince}

Zeid Ra'ad Zeid of Jordan

_{The management oversight and}

legislative body of the ICC

_{Composed of representatives of}

the States that have ratified or acceded to the Rome Statute

_{Meets once a year to discuss and}

vote on issues before the Court

The ASP During its Third Session

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Mission

The Coalition for the

International Criminal Court

(CICC) is a network of over

2,000 non-governmental

organizations (NGOs)

advocating for a fair, effective

and independent International

Criminal Court (ICC).

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History of

the

Coalition

_{February 10, 1995: Formation of}

the CICC in New York City

_{Convened under William Pace,}

Executive Director of the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy

_{Now includes over 2,000 NGOs}

from many sectors of global civil

society CICC Program Director, Tanya Karanasios and CICC Convenor, William Pace

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Regional Coordination

* New York Secretariat

* The Hague Secretariat

*Mexico City, Mexico

*Lagos, Nigeria

Benin City,* _{*Quezon City,} Phillipines

*Buenos Aires, Argentina

Brussels, Belgium*

*Sana’a, Yemen

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Objectives

1.

Promoting awareness of the ICC and Rome Statute

2.

Facilitating the effective participation of civil society in the

sessions of the Assembly of States Parties

3.

Promoting universal acceptance and ratification of accession

to the Rome Statute and the full implementation of the treaty’s

obligations into national law

4.

Monitoring and supporting the Court’s work

5.

Promoting international support for the Court

6.

Strengthening CICC networks around the world

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Our Network

_{30 members at its founding - now more than 2,000 NGOs}

_{NGO members from all regions of the world, representing a vast array of}

interests and expertise

_{Together, the Coalition and its members organize themselves and}

coordinate activities in order to support the establishment of the ICC

_{CICC Steering Committee – founding NGOs which guide the work of the}

Coalition

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Steering Committee Members

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Amnesty International

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Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos

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European Law Students Association

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Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l’Homme

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Human Rights First

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Human Rights Watch

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No Peace Without Justice

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Parliamentarians for Global Action

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Rights & Democracy

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Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice

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World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP)

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What We Do

The Coalition for the International Criminal Court…

 Campaigns, using its global network of members to coordinate

campaigns around the world

 Raises Awareness, providing crucial information on the Court

through publicly available print and electronic resources

 Provides Expertise, publishing research and advocacy papers on

issues important to the Court

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What We Do

The Coalition for the International Criminal Court…

 Coordinates NGOs, providing logistical and financial support to its

members as well as analysis and background information

 Works closely with Governments, organizing meetings between NGOs

and governments and observing meetings of “The Friends of the ICC,” an informal group of government representatives who support the ICC

 Monitors the Issues, actively monitoring the ASP and presenting

recommendations to the ASP, often at the request of governments

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Issues and Campaigns

CICC members campaign on specific issues in a number of ways including (among others)…

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National, regional and international campaigns

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Ratification and Implementation

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Election of ICC officials

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Defending the integrity of the Rome Statute and the ICC

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Thematic caucuses

o

Victims Rights Working Group

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Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice

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Faith and Ethics-based Network for the ICC

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Issue-based teams

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Budget and Finance Team

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Communications and Outreach

o

Legal Representation (for victims and defense)

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Our Supporters

The primary contributions to the Coalition’s work come from member organizations who carry out the hard work necessary to achieve the CICC’s goals, and commit thousands of staff and millions of dollars from their own programs.

CICC has received major financial contributions from:

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The Ford Foundation

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The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

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The European Commission

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Our Supporters

Over the years, grants have been received from:  _{Open Society Institute}

 _{Paul and Daisy Soros Foundation}

 _{Planethood Foundation}

 _{Reebok Foundation}

 _{Third Millennium Foundation}

 _{The governments of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece,}

Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK

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What Can NGOs

Do?

 Become an NGO member or join a

national or regional network

 Urge your national and regional

governments to ratify and implement the ICC Statute

 Follow developments at the meetings of

the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC

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What Can NGOs and/or

Individuals Do?

 Participate actively in a CICC campaign,

thematic caucus or issue-based team

 Hold briefings for civil society organizations and

for the press to inform them about the ICC

 Contact the Coalition to do translations of key

information materials to the languages in your region

 Write a letter to the local editor of your

newspaper in support of the ICC

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What Can NGOs and/or Individuals

Do?

 Visit the CICC’s website at: www.iccnow.org (and link to your

website)

 Subscribe to the CICC’s listservs:

o

for English, email: icc-info-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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for French, email: reseau-cpi-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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for Spanish, email: noticias-cpi-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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for Portuguese, email: tpi-cpi-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

 Request print, electronic and audiovisual ICC Resources available

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