ICC Legal Tools to be presented at the 7th ICC Assembly of States Parties meeting

At the forthcoming Seventh International Criminal Court (ICC) Assembly of States Parties Meeting in the Hague, two briefing sessions on the ICC Legal Tools will be held. The focus of the briefing sessions is ‘The ICC Legal Tools: its Services, Goals, Status and Further Development’.

Meeting Agendas:

1) State-sponsored meeting, Wednesday, 19 November 2008, 13:00-14:45h, Room Oceania2 :

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SESSION HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FROM THURSDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2008, TO WEDNESDAY, 19 NOVEMBER.

Introduction of the ICC Legal Tools Project and its outsourcing partners

Klaus Rackwitz, Senior Administrative Manager, ICC Office of the Prosecutor

‘The Legal Tools Project: its services, goals, status and further development’

Morten Bergsmo, Senior Researcher, PRIO

Demonstrating the functions of the ICC Database on Implementing Legislation

Dr. Olympia Bekou, Head of the ICJ Unit, Human Rights Law Centre, University of Nottingham

Questions and Answers

Hosted by the Netherlands and co-sponsored by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria, the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom.

2) Introduction to the ICC Legal Tools Project for NGOs, Thursday 20 November, 11:00-12:00h, Africa Room

Opening Remarks

Klaus Rackwitz, Senior Administrative Manager, ICC Office of the Prosecutor

Gilbert Bitti, Senior Legal Advisor, Pre-Trial Division of the ICC.

Introductions by the Legal Tools Outsourcing Partners

‘The Status of the Legal Tools Project, including a demonstration of the Case Matrix’

Morten Bergsmo, Senior Researcher, PRIO

Questions and Comments

The events are organised and coordinated by the Human Rights Law Centre, on behalf of the ICC Legal Tools and its associated partners. Special thanks to the Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law for the coordination of the State-sponsored meeting.

Conference on the Genocide Convention in Marburg/Frankfurt, 4 to 6 December 2008

On 8 December 1948 the General Assembly of the UN adopted a Convention establishing “Genocide” as a criminal norm. However, it took fifty years until this crime was prosecuted before an international criminal tribunal in the Akayesu Case before the ICTR. Even if the crime of genocide is perceived of as the worst of all international crimes, its application is anything but clear. In addition there is a certain conflict between genocide as a criminal norm and the prohibition of genocide as an obligation under public international law.
The 60th Anniversary of the Genocide Convention is a perfect time to reflect on the origins of the Convention, its present difficulties and the future prospects. The International Research and Documentation Centre for War Crimes Trials (ICWC) at the University of Marburg has thus organized an international conference from 4 to 6 December 2008 in Marburg and Frankfurt (Germany) to discuss the relevant issues concerning the Genocide Convention.

For further information please refer to the website of the conference.