Outreach to Victims, Affected Communities, and Civil Society: an Analysis of Prosecutor Bensouda’s Legacy at the ICC

 
Today, FIDH has published a paper in partnership with No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) on the outreach activities at the International Criminal Court (ICC). This is the third and final paper in a broader review conducted by FIDH on Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s term (2012-2021) which also puts forwards recommendations for Prosecutor Karim Khan.
 
For this paper, FIDH and NPWJ consulted 38 civil society groups from 16 countries under preliminary examination or investigation at the ICC (Afghanistan, Bangladesh/Myanmar, Central African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Palestine/Israel, Philippines, Sudan, Uganda, Ukraine, and Venezuela). We also consulted international NGOs and other relevant stakeholders.
 
Despite the notable efforts to improve the OTP’s outreach strategy, many of the organisations that were consulted highlighted persisting challenges.
 
While the overall approach on outreach developed significantly under the tenure of Prosecutor Bensouda, this report highlights the shortcomings in relation to the scope and content of outreach, and puts forward recommendations for Prosecutor Khan under three thematic areas: (1) policies, strategies and guidelines; (2) communications and materials; and (3) in-country presence and contextual understanding.
 
This initiative is part of a broader FIDH review of the Prosecution’s work from 2012 to early 2021. The full stocktaking report will cover three priority areas – sexual and gender-based crimes, preliminary examinations, and outreach to victims and affected communities – and will be launched at the 20th Assembly of States Parties on 14 December 2021 during a virtual event hosted by FIDH, Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ) and No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ).
 
 
For further information, please contact Alison Smith, Director of International Justice, on asmith@npwj.org or Nicola Giovannini, Press & Public Affairs Coordinator on ngiovannini@npwj.org.