9th ASP to the ICC: NPWJ calls for a stronger international criminal justice system, through outreach and an intensified ICC field presence

No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) is participating in the Ninth Session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) of the International Criminal Court, being held in New York on 6-10 December 2010.
 
No Peace Without Justice is a founding member of the NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) and one of the organisations at the forefront of promoting the establishment and entry into force of the permanent International Criminal Court (ICC). NPWJ continues to work for universal ratification and implementation of the Rome Statute and the effective operations of the ICC. NPWJ has participated in every sessions of the ASP since its first session in 2002, the year the ICC was established.
 
The Review Conference held in May-June 2010 in Kampala, Uganda, was a milestone in international criminal justice and provided an unprecedented opportunity to conduct a stocktaking that set the policy tone and direction for the Court in the years to come and enhanced ICC States Parties’ understanding of the justice needs and experiences of communities affected by the Court’s work. States Parties and the Court itself now have a tremendous opportunity to build on those results through concrete actions, to reinforce the significance of the stocktaking begun in Kampala. In relation to the follow-up on the stocktaking on victims and affected communities, NPWJ urges ICC States Parties and the Court to implement fully the resolution adopted in Uganda as soon as possible. NPWJ also supports the Court’s review of its strategy in relation to victims to incorporate the recommendations reflected in the Final Report of the Focal Points on this topic from Kampala.
 
One of the conclusions reached in the stocktaking on victims and affected communities is that the Court’s field presence and outreach activities need to be optimised to enhance the ICC’s impact. NPWJ welcomes the important strategic planning process initiated by the Curt on its field operations and how they can be optimised with a view to maximising their impact and we encourage the States Parties to support and engage in constructive dialogue with the Court on this process. The ICC has made great progress in its outreach and we encourage the Court and States Parties to continue strengthening and developing its work in this area, including by launching outreach programs as soon as -- or preferably before -- an investigation is opened.
 
The 9th ASP will also see the fourth meeting of the Policy Group of the Justice Rapid Response (JRR), currently chaired by Canada, with the support of NPWJ in its capacity as the JRR Secretariat. JRR is a multilateral cooperative mechanism for the supply of expertise and assistance responding to a request of a State or international institution, where the identification, collection and preservation of information would assist a wide range of international and transitional justice options. NPWJ encourages all States Parties to attend this meeting and support the JRR, as a practical mechanism designed to support efforts to end impunity worldwide.
 
Finally, on Friday 10 December, the Human Rights Network Uganda (HURINET-U), NPWJ and the Uganda Coalition for the ICC (UCICC) will organise an event to launch the Final Report on the project of visits to Uganda by representatives of State Parties to the ICC (the Project) implemented from January to June 2010. The event will highlight the main findings of the Project and will see interventions of States delegates who took part in the visits and the Court. NPWJ invites all States Parties, civil society colleagues and others to participate in this event as part of their commitment to enhance the Court’s impact on victims and affected communities.
 
 
For further information, contact Alison Smith on asmith@npwj.org or +32-486-986 235 or Nicola Giovannini on ngiovannini@npwj.org or +32-2-548-3914.