ICC - Opening of the Seminar on the role of the ICC Registry in providing support and assistance to victims

Opening of the Seminar on the role of the ICC Registry in providing support and assistance to victims

ICC-CPI-20101105-MA78

 

On 8 and 9 November, 2010, the Registrar of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Ms Silvana Arbia, will host a seminar on the Registry’s role in providing support and assistance to victims.

During the seminar, ICC Registry staff members, particularly those working in field offices and in direct contact with victims, will meet with eminent external experts, such as Justice Renate Winter, Judge of the Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The seminar is also open to the other organs of the Court, the Office of Public Counsel and the Trust Fund for Victims, all of which have an important role to play in respect of victims. It is not open to the general public.

This initiative aims to assist the Registry in implementing the ICC Strategy in relation to Victims, a Court-wide instrument based on the ground-breaking framework provided for in the Rome Statute for the recognition of victims as actors within the international justice scheme.

Discussions will focus exclusively and fully elaborate on the objective of “Provid[ing] support and assistance to victims in order to safeguard their psychological and physical integrity and well-being, ensure respect for their dignity and privacy, and prevent them from suffering further harm as a result of their interaction with the Court.” This is one of the six main policy objectives set out in the strategy concerning the provision of support and assistance to victims.

Accordingly, the seminar will allow for detailed discussions and expert recommendations on matters such as: explaining the role of and actions taken by the different sections dealing with victims within the Registry; looking at the legal background of the terms “support” and “assistance” as articulated within the ICC legal framework and other relevant documents; examining the needs and expectations of victims in terms of support and assistance; exploring the work of national or international services that provide support and assistance; and proposing a way forward for the Registry in strengthening the implementation of this objective.

Background

 

The Rome Statute establishes an unprecedented framework for recognizing victims as actors within the international justice scheme. Since the Court’s establishment, this framework has been further developed to make these aspirations an operational reality. The relevant units of the Office of the Prosecutor and of the Registry, the Secretariat of the Trust Fund for Victims and the Offices of Public Counsel for Victims and for the Defence, with a representative of the Presidency as observer, have come together to set out the ICC Strategy in Relation to Victims, a common broad vision that will provide a common framework and serve as a guide for the development of specific objectives and work plans.

 

Within the Registry there are three sections that are directly in contact with victims: the Public Information and Documentation Section, the Victims Participation and Reparation Section, and the Victims and Witnesses Unit.

 

Report of the Court on the strategy in relation to victims
ICC-ASP/8/45 - English | Español | Français | عربي

For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Associate Legal Outreach Officer, on +31 (0)70 515-9152 or at [email protected]

The ICC’s activities can also be followed through YouTube and Twitter

Source: Registry