ICC Outreach Report 2009
The International Criminal Court (ICC) presented its Outreach Report 2009 to representatives of States and Non-Governmental Organisations, meeting in The Hague in the occasion of the Eighth Session of the Assembly of the States Parties to the Rome Statute.
In her welcoming remarks, the Registrar Silvana Arbia informed those present that during the period covered by the report, from1 October 2008 to 1 October 2009, more than 39,665 individuals participated in 365 Outreach activities. The use of local radio and television stations was dramatically increased in order to expand the number of people receiving the message of the Court in a most effective way and to support daily Outreach activities. It is estimated that nearly 34 million people were regularly informed through the media during the yearly timeframe.
Ms Arbia recalled that the Outreach Programme was established to cultivate a level of awareness and understanding of the Court’s mandate and activities amongst the most affected communities of situation and cases before the Court. Currently the Outreach Programme is active in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and Darfur (Sudan). The Programme promotes access to and understanding of judicial proceedings and fosters realistic expectations about the Court’s work. This in turn has engendered greater local community participation by addressing their concerns and countering misperceptions.
Building on the experience of the last three years, in the upcoming period the Outreach Unit will continue to apply participatory and interactive methodologies in all activities, and will prioritise themes agreed upon with beneficiaries of the Outreach Programme. To facilitate this evolving process, the following four categories have been defined, under which activities and key target populations are grouped, and relevant thematic approaches are identified: the Community Outreach Programme engaging affected communities and civil society organisations; the Legal Outreach Programme engaging legal practitioners; the Academic Outreach Programme engaging schools and universities; and the Media Outreach Programme engaging journalists.
The Registrar concluded that “in all situations, to fulfill the mandate to communicate with affected communities support from States, including national authorities and local civil society organisations remains crucial. Putting public radio stations and television channels at the Court’s service would ensure public access to the Court’s proceedings which is a fundamental element of a fair trial.”
Lastly, a video documenting key findings of the Outreach Report in each of the situation related countries was shown. Questions asked by State’s delegates attending the meeting, as well as Civil Society representatives, were answered by ICC staff, including the Outreach Co-ordinators who are based in the field, in the situation countries.
Outreach Report 2009
English
For further information please contact Ms Claudia Perdomo, Head of the Outreach Unit at +31 (0)70 515-8514 or +31 (0) 625221177 or at [email protected]