Conference - 21/22 September 2007 - Berlin

Five years after the entry into force of the Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court (ICC), 105 states have ratified it, thus affirming their commitment to end impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the ICC is investigating grave crimes committed in four situations: Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Darfur, and the Central African Republic. Eight arrest warrants have been issued against perpetrators in three of the situations. In January 2007, Pre-trial chamber I confirmed the charges of war crimes against the first accused in custody of the Court, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, a former Congolese rebel leader. His trial, the first ever before the ICC, should start late 2007 or early 2008. A number of other situations falling under ICC jurisdiction – including some of the worst atrocities in recent years – are being actively monitored by the OTP. The first Trial Chamber was constituted on March 6, 2007.

Despite these important accomplishments, the Court continues to face serious challenges. Lack of universal ratification of the Rome Statute, problems in securing the arrest and transfer of wanted suspects and the difficulties of investigating in conflict zones have hampered the Court’s effective implementation of its mandate. The institutional and financial framework has been set up. It is now time to grant the Court the support it needs in order to go to work successfully.

The planned conference seeks to explore the accomplishments and the challenges that the Court is facing today. The four organisers of this conference (Amnesty International, the German Red Cross, the United Nations Association of Germany and Human Rights Watch) are longstanding supporters of the ICC and committed to its success. The challenges faced by the court are manifold and extend from securing sufficient state cooperation to building a viable defence for the accused. Central to the Court’s success are also victims’ participation in the proceedings as well as the effective implementation of the Rome Statute into national law. The conference will provide a unique forum for human rights activists, legal experts, politicians, diplomats and practitioners to address these fundamental questions and engage in formulating recommendations to address them successfully. The objective of the organisers is to generate enhanced public and political support for a strong, independent and effective International Criminal Court.

The conference is taking place in Germany, a country that was pivotal in the inception of the ICC and must continue leading in the fight against impunity by upholding active support to the Court.