Fourteenth Session of the ICC Assembly of States Parties

The Hague, 18-26 November 2015

From 18 to 26 November 2015, the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) met in The Hague for its fourteenth annual session. The ASP was attended by States Parties, observer States, international organisations and non‑governmental organisations, including a delegation from No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) headed by its Secretary-General Niccolo' Figa-Talamanca.
 
NPWJ took this opportunity to bring several Syrian partners to the ASP to support their participation in international meetings and their interactions with States and with the ICC. This was designed to ensure that the decision- and policy-makers present at the ASP hear directly from Syrian HRDs on accountability issues, including specific children’s rights issues related to the conflict, such as the use of children in armed conflict or SGBV. The aim of the visit was to provide first-hand capacity-building to our Syrian partners to ensure that these issues are effectively addressed and that the highest international standard to ensure protection and promotion of children’s rights are taken into account in their advocacy activities.
 
As part of these advocacy efforts, two side-events were also organised in the margins of the 14thsession of the ICC Assembly of States Parties:
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- “Inside Syrian Regime Prisons: the Caesar Files” Exhibit, hosted by Syrian Association for Missing and Conscience Detainees, Euro-Syrian Democratic Forum and No Peace Without Justice, and co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Liechtenstein to the United Nations, on 18 to 20 November 2015 (Yangtze Room, 1st Floor, World Forum, The Hague).
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- A panel discussion on “Accountability and the Prospect of a Political Solution to the Conflict in Syria”, which was held on 25 November 2015 (Oceania, World Forum, The Hague, 13:15 – 14:45).
 
 
In the framework of the 14thsession of the ICC Assembly of States Parties, NPWJ’s Policy Priorities in respect of the ICC itself consisted primarily of the following:

  • Strengthen the ICC’s field presence
  • Strengthen the ICC’s outreach performance and strategies, including during preliminary examinations
  • Maintain the issue of the ICC’s completion strategy on the agenda
  • Promote the ICC’s development of a strategy on children, especially by the OTP

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
To that end, NPWJ contributed to the side event “Enhancing the Court’s impact on the ground: A strategic approach to ICC field presences and external operations”, organised by the ICC Registry on 23 November 2015 (from 13:15 to 14:45, World Forum). On 26 November 2015, at the conclusion of the session, NPWJ Secretary General also delivered a Statement on behalf of the NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC). 
 
Documentation:

 
NPWJ and the ICC
No Peace Without Justice, which is a founding member of the NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) and which has been one of the organisations at the forefront of promoting the establishment and entry into force of the permanent International Criminal Court (ICC) and continues to work for its universal ratification, has participated in every session of the ASP since its first session in 2002, the year the ICC was established.
 
 
For further information, please contact: Alison Smith (Director of International Criminal Justice Program) on asmith@npwj.org or +32-2-548 39 12 or Nicola Giovannini (Press & Public Affairs Coordinator) on ngiovannini@npwj.org or +32 2 548 39 15.