No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) will participate in the Seventh Session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the International Criminal Court, to be held in The Hague on 14 – 22 November 2008. The ASP is composed of the States Parties to the Rome Statute, currently numbering 108, and is the body responsible for oversight of the Court’s non-judicial functions, including approval of the Court’s annual budget, election of the Court’s highest officials and provide oversight on issues such as outreach, victim’s issues and legal aid.
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.
At the Seventh Session of the ASP, NPWJ’s delegation will be headed by Secretary-General Gianfranco Dell’Alba, who will also address the Assembly during the General Debate on Saturday, 15 November 2008.
Ten years after the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the 7th ASP is a good opportunity for State parties to reaffirm their strong commitment to peace and justice and to promotion of universal ratification and full implementation of the Rome Statute. NPWJ therefore urges urges States Parties who have not done so to fulfill their obligations to enact implementing legislation as soon as possible, particularly Italy, the birthplace of the Rome Statute. NPWJ also calls on all States Parties to cooperate fully with the ICC in its investigations and judicial actions, especially in ensuring the prompt arrest and surrender of any person, regardless of their status, who is the subject of a Court arrest warrant, in particular those currently evading justice in relation to events in Darfur and Uganda.
The 7th ASP will also see the second meeting of the Policy Group of the Justice Rapid Response (JRR), currently chaired by Canada, which is an international 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, NPWJ urges the ICC to intensify its outreach efforts, including through strengthening its field presence, particularly in Central African Republic and Darfur, to maximise its impact on local populations and increase the effectiveness of its work.
For further information, contact Alison Smith on asmith@npwj.org or +32-486-986 235 or Nicola Giovannini on ngiovannini@npwj.orgor +32-2-548-3913.
