ICC - Solemn undertaking of the Registrar - Speeches

Solemn undertaking of the Registrar - Speeches

ICC-CPI-20030704-21

 

On Thursday, 3 July 2003 Mr. Bruno Cathala  took his solemn undertaking as first Registrar of the International Criminal Court.

“With the Registrar taking up office, the International Criminal Court is now fully constituted”, Judge Mr. Philippe Kirsch said during the open session of the Court, adding that “the Court is now ready to meet the challenges that it will face”.

“Our immediate task is to prepare for the influx of work which will begin when the first cases are referred to the Court. The judges have been working conscientiously, in collaboration with the Office of the Prosecutor and the Registry, so that we will be ready with a co-ordinated common strategy”, said President Kirsch, adding that he is “confident that this collaboration between the three pillars of the court will reinforce the credibility, transparency and efficiency of the International Criminal Court”.

Expressing his congratulations to Mr. Cathala on behalf of the Assembly of States Parties, H.E. Allieu Ibrahim Kanu exhorted to continue sending “a loud and clear message that abuses and atrocities of the past will no longer go unpunished”.

“We have now a functioning court and it is our collective duty to support its work. We must continue to encourage more states to accede to the Rome Statute, we must work to ensure that the court receives sufficient resources to perform its work, and we must support the development of national legislation to implement the Rome Statute”, ASP Vice-President H.E. Allieu Ibrahim Kanu said.

The Prosecutor Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo acknowledged the important role that the Registrar will play in the management and administration of the Court. He recognised the distinguished qualifications of Mr. Cathala to carry out his duties and pledged his support. “Many times I have been told that I, as the Prosecutor of the ICC, have the most difficult and lonely job on earth. I am pleased to note today that there is at least someone that has a more difficult job than mine: the Registrar of the International Criminal Court”, he said.

The Registrar, Mr. Bruno Cathala, expressed his determination to ensure the proper functioning of the Court, which has the mission of becoming an international legal authority operating within a pluralist international system. "An institution - he said -  that is both legitimate and wise".

“The Registry is a service provider whose essential objective is to facilitate the production of legal decisions, and their execution, within a reasonable period”, Mr. Cathala said.

The Registrar focused on the importance of ensuring a fair trial for all the parties in the proceeding, with particular attention to the rights of victims, witnesses and accused.

Mr. Jeroen H. Brouwer, Dean of the Netherlands Bar Association and Vice-President of the International Criminal Bar Association, was invited to intervene on behalf of the Defence.

“The emerging system of international criminal justice will be fragile, especially in these early days”, he said. Mr. Brouwer underlined the importance of involving counterparts in the building of the Court. “Creating the ICC is not just the business of governments it also involves creating an international legal community around the ICC – the academics, lawyers and professional associations that actually make the court systems work”, he said.

The speech of the President of the International Criminal Court, Judge Mr. Philippe Kirsch is available in English and French.

The speech of the Vice President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is available in English and French.

The speech of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is available in English.

The speech of the Registrar of the International Criminal Court, Mr. Bruno Cathala is available in the original version.

The speech of Mr. Jeroen H. Brouwer is available in English.