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Informal Daily Summary from the ASP: Thursday, 9 December 2010

09 Dec 2010

Dear all,

The ninth session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) continued today in New York, USA.

This message includes a short summary of developments in the ASP plenary session (I), side events (II), related documents and related news coverage (III).

>From 6 - 10 December 2010, representatives from each of the 114 ICC member states are gathering to address and make decisions on numerous issues that are central to the Court's operations.

The ASP is a pivotal event for the Coalition for the ICC, which has participated in ASP sessions for well over a decade. More than 150 NGO representatives are attending the ninth ASP to monitor key issues at stake, including the necessary follow-up to the June 2010 ICC Review Conference, the ICC budget, cooperation with the ICC, oversight mechanisms and the upcoming judicial and prosecutorial elections, among other issues. NGOs will contribute to discussions through side events, advocacy meetings, press conferences and the submission of position papers from the Coalition's issue-based teams.

The various papers produced by Coalition teams as well as individual members' recommendations to the ASP are available on the Coalition's website at: http://coalitionfortheicc.org/?mod=asp9

Official ASP documents and journals can be found on the ICC-ASP website at: http://www.icc-cpi.int/nr/exeres/f16c9b3e-55a6-4989-8987-f57125a0d306.htm

Pictures of the event are posted on the Coalition's Flickr account at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coalitionforicc/

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you need further information.

Regards,

CICC Secretariat
www.coalitionfortheicc.org

***********************

CICC ASP9 INFORMAL SUMMARY: THURSDAY 9 DECEMBER 2010

I. PLENARY SESSION

Today’s plenary session began with the progress report of the ASP.

This was followed by a report of the Chair of the Oversight Committee on Permanent Premises for the Court, including a video on the preliminary concept for the new premises' design by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. Construction of the new premises is scheduled to start in 2012 and scheduled for completion in 2015. Informal consultations on the Court’s premises continued in the afternoon, during which Hans Heemrood, Project Director for the construction of the premises, presented further information on the project’s status, budget and timeline. States then reviewed the draft resolution which will be subject to formal adoption by the Assembly tomorrow.

The Draft Report on Permanent Premises for the Court is available here: http://icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_docs/ASP9/ICC-ASP-9-28-Add.1-ENG.pdf

To view the new ICC Premises website, visit: http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/Go?id=c0bf504b-5ca8-4b1a-bb69-15c62a15ef8f&lan=en-GB

The plenary then turned to the conclusion of the General Debate, where one state party (Benin) along with non-states parties (Guatemala and Kuwait), the International Committee of the Red Cross, The League of Arab States and seven NGOs were given the opportunity to make statements to the Assembly. Statements were delivered by the Coalition for the ICC and its Members, Amnesty International, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Parliamentarians for Global Action, the International Commission of Jurists-Kenya, the International Center for Traumatic Stress Studies, and Human Rights Watch. Issues raised by today’s speakers included, among others, the outcomes and necessary follow-up to the ICC Review Conference, including follow-up on pledges, the need for effective cooperation with the ICC, political support for the Court, universality and complementarity, the importance of implementing legislations, victims’ rights, outreach and communications, the Court’s budget, and ICC elections, among others.

NGO statements are available on the Coalition’s website at: http://coalitionfortheicc.org/?mod=asp9&idudctp=21&show=all#21

Following the conclusion of the General Debate, there were informal consultations on the omnibus resolution, formally titled “Strengthening the International Criminal Court and the Assembly of States Parties”.

The Working Group on the Budget (WGB) also held informal consultations, where states expressed their views on the proposal by certain States to have zero nominal growth on the budget. These discussions continued in closed informal consultations.

To read the paper of the Coalition's Budget Team, see: http://www.iccnow.org/documents/CICC_Budget_and_Finance_Team_Paper__30Nov2010.pdf

Read the Proposed Programme Budget for 2011 of the International Criminal Court at: http://icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_docs/ASP9/ICC-ASP-9-10-ENG.pdf and the Report of the Committee on Budget and Finance on the work of its fifteenth session at: http://www.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_docs/ASP9/ICC-ASP-9-15-ENG.pdf

The Working Group on Amendments (WGA) briefly met to adopt its report. States agreed to hold informal consultations next year in New York to discuss tabled amendments to the Rome Statute, new amendments to the Rome Statute or the ICC Rules of Evidence and Procedures and the elaboration of procedural rules or guidelines for the Working Group in the future.

The Credentials Committee also held a meeting.

Informal consultations on the Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM) were held on the side of the plenary meeting. The IOM is a mechanism established to investigate allegations of misconduct by ICC staff, elected officials and contractors, as well as to inspect and evaluate the Court in order to enhance its efficiency and economy.

To read the paper issued by the Coalition's IOM Team, see: http://coalitionfortheicc.org/documents/CICC_IOM_Team_Paper.pdf

II. SIDE EVENTS

The Bureau of the ASP met before the commencement of the plenary session today. There was also an EU coordination meeting on the ASP.

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) held an event on “Making Complementarity Work: The Way Forward”, during which panelists gave a brief overview of complementarity discussions, in particular on the links between international justice and rule of law development, from the ICTJ retreat in October 2010, and discussed concrete steps to move complementarity forward in policy and practice. Speakers included David Tolbert, President of ICTJ; Stephen Mathias, Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs; Djordje Djordjevic, Rule of Law, Justice and Security Advisor, Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, United Nations Development Program.

Read more on the ICTJ: http://www.ictj.org/en/index.html

The ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo presented the Report of the Office of the Prosecutor on its investigations in Darfur, Sudan, to the UN Security Council (UNSC). In his report, Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo gave updates on the arrest warrants pending against Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, updated the UNSC on the Banda-Jerbo case, which began its confirmation of charges hearing on Wednesday 8 December 2010, and informed the Council of the continuing non-cooperation of the Sudanese government with the Court, adding that Sudan is also not conducting national proceedings for the crimes committed in Darfur.

The prosecutor’s report will be available soon at: http://icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC/Situations+and+Cases/Situations/Situation+ICC+0205/Reports+to+the+UNSC/

H.E. Paul Seger, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations hosted an evening reception on the occasion of the 9th ASP at the Swiss Residence.

III. RELATED DOCUMENTS AND COVERAGE

1. Statements made by NGO Members of the Coalition for the ICC to the Ninth ASP on 9 December 2010 are available at: http://coalitionfortheicc.org/?mod=asp9&idudctp=21&show=all#21

2. ICC Office of the Prosecutor Weekly Update (including updates on the ninth ASP session) 30 November – 6 December 2010, http://icc-cpi.int/menus/icc/structure of the court/office of the prosecutor/weekly briefings/otp weekly briefing 30 november _ 6 december 2010

4. “President Song meets with Secretary-General of the United Nations”, ICC Press Office, 9 November 2010, http://icc-cpi.int/menus/icc/press and media/press releases/president song meets with secretary_general of the united nations

5. VIDEO - Press Conference: The 9th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 7 December 2010, http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2010/12/press-conference-the-9th-session-of-the-assembly-of-states-parties-to-the-rome-statute-of-the-international-criminal-court.html

6. “ICC chief prosecutor stresses importance of cooperation with Colombia”, Good Morning Colombia, 8 December 2010, http://www.goodmorningcolombia.com/?p=8831

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News Browse by Region Media Digests Country Updates UN Excerpts on the ICC Updates of the Assembly Browse by Region		Informal Daily Summary from the ASP: Thursday, 9 December 2010 09 Dec 2010 Dear all, The ninth session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) continued today in New York, USA. This message includes a short summary of developments in the ASP plenary session (I), side events (II), related documents and related news coverage (III). >From 6 - 10 December 2010, representatives from each of the 114 ICC member states are gathering to address and make decisions on numerous issues that are central to the Court's operations. The ASP is a pivotal event for the Coalition for the ICC, which has participated in ASP sessions for well over a decade. More than 150 NGO representatives are attending the ninth ASP to monitor key issues at stake, including the necessary follow-up to the June 2010 ICC Review Conference, the ICC budget, cooperation with the ICC, oversight mechanisms and the upcoming judicial and prosecutorial elections, among other issues. NGOs will contribute to discussions through side events, advocacy meetings, press conferences and the submission of position papers from the Coalition's issue-based teams. The various papers produced by Coalition teams as well as individual members' recommendations to the ASP are available on the Coalition's website at: http://coalitionfortheicc.org/?mod=asp9 Official ASP documents and journals can be found on the ICC-ASP website at: http://www.icc-cpi.int/nr/exeres/f16c9b3e-55a6-4989-8987-f57125a0d306.htm Pictures of the event are posted on the Coalition's Flickr account at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coalitionforicc/ Please do not hesitate to contact us should you need further information. Regards, CICC Secretariat www.coalitionfortheicc.org *********************** CICC ASP9 INFORMAL SUMMARY: THURSDAY 9 DECEMBER 2010 I. PLENARY SESSION Today’s plenary session began with the progress report of the ASP. This was followed by a report of the Chair of the Oversight Committee on Permanent Premises for the Court, including a video on the preliminary concept for the new premises' design by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. Construction of the new premises is scheduled to start in 2012 and scheduled for completion in 2015. Informal consultations on the Court’s premises continued in the afternoon, during which Hans Heemrood, Project Director for the construction of the premises, presented further information on the project’s status, budget and timeline. States then reviewed the draft resolution which will be subject to formal adoption by the Assembly tomorrow. The Draft Report on Permanent Premises for the Court is available here: http://icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_docs/ASP9/ICC-ASP-9-28-Add.1-ENG.pdf To view the new ICC Premises website, visit: http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/Go?id=c0bf504b-5ca8-4b1a-bb69-15c62a15ef8f&lan=en-GB The plenary then turned to the conclusion of the General Debate, where one state party (Benin) along with non-states parties (Guatemala and Kuwait), the International Committee of the Red Cross, The League of Arab States and seven NGOs were given the opportunity to make statements to the Assembly. Statements were delivered by the Coalition for the ICC and its Members, Amnesty International, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Parliamentarians for Global Action, the International Commission of Jurists-Kenya, the International Center for Traumatic Stress Studies, and Human Rights Watch. Issues raised by today’s speakers included, among others, the outcomes and necessary follow-up to the ICC Review Conference, including follow-up on pledges, the need for effective cooperation with the ICC, political support for the Court, universality and complementarity, the importance of implementing legislations, victims’ rights, outreach and communications, the Court’s budget, and ICC elections, among others. NGO statements are available on the Coalition’s website at: http://coalitionfortheicc.org/?mod=asp9&idudctp=21&show=all#21 Following the conclusion of the General Debate, there were informal consultations on the omnibus resolution, formally titled “Strengthening the International Criminal Court and the Assembly of States Parties”. The Working Group on the Budget (WGB) also held informal consultations, where states expressed their views on the proposal by certain States to have zero nominal growth on the budget. These discussions continued in closed informal consultations. To read the paper of the Coalition's Budget Team, see: http://www.iccnow.org/documents/CICC_Budget_and_Finance_Team_Paper__30Nov2010.pdf Read the Proposed Programme Budget for 2011 of the International Criminal Court at: http://icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_docs/ASP9/ICC-ASP-9-10-ENG.pdf and the Report of the Committee on Budget and Finance on the work of its fifteenth session at: http://www.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_docs/ASP9/ICC-ASP-9-15-ENG.pdf The Working Group on Amendments (WGA) briefly met to adopt its report. States agreed to hold informal consultations next year in New York to discuss tabled amendments to the Rome Statute, new amendments to the Rome Statute or the ICC Rules of Evidence and Procedures and the elaboration of procedural rules or guidelines for the Working Group in the future. The Credentials Committee also held a meeting. Informal consultations on the Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM) were held on the side of the plenary meeting. The IOM is a mechanism established to investigate allegations of misconduct by ICC staff, elected officials and contractors, as well as to inspect and evaluate the Court in order to enhance its efficiency and economy. To read the paper issued by the Coalition's IOM Team, see: http://coalitionfortheicc.org/documents/CICC_IOM_Team_Paper.pdf II. SIDE EVENTS The Bureau of the ASP met before the commencement of the plenary session today. There was also an EU coordination meeting on the ASP. The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) held an event on “Making Complementarity Work: The Way Forward”, during which panelists gave a brief overview of complementarity discussions, in particular on the links between international justice and rule of law development, from the ICTJ retreat in October 2010, and discussed concrete steps to move complementarity forward in policy and practice. Speakers included David Tolbert, President of ICTJ; Stephen Mathias, Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs; Djordje Djordjevic, Rule of Law, Justice and Security Advisor, Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, United Nations Development Program. Read more on the ICTJ: http://www.ictj.org/en/index.html The ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo presented the Report of the Office of the Prosecutor on its investigations in Darfur, Sudan, to the UN Security Council (UNSC). In his report, Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo gave updates on the arrest warrants pending against Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, updated the UNSC on the Banda-Jerbo case, which began its confirmation of charges hearing on Wednesday 8 December 2010, and informed the Council of the continuing non-cooperation of the Sudanese government with the Court, adding that Sudan is also not conducting national proceedings for the crimes committed in Darfur. The prosecutor’s report will be available soon at: http://icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC/Situations+and+Cases/Situations/Situation+ICC+0205/Reports+to+the+UNSC/ H.E. Paul Seger, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations hosted an evening reception on the occasion of the 9th ASP at the Swiss Residence. III. RELATED DOCUMENTS AND COVERAGE 1. Statements made by NGO Members of the Coalition for the ICC to the Ninth ASP on 9 December 2010 are available at: http://coalitionfortheicc.org/?mod=asp9&idudctp=21&show=all#21 2. ICC Office of the Prosecutor Weekly Update (including updates on the ninth ASP session) 30 November – 6 December 2010, http://icc-cpi.int/menus/icc/structure of the court/office of the prosecutor/weekly briefings/otp weekly briefing 30 november _ 6 december 2010 4. “President Song meets with Secretary-General of the United Nations”, ICC Press Office, 9 November 2010, http://icc-cpi.int/menus/icc/press and media/press releases/president song meets with secretary_general of the united nations 5. VIDEO - Press Conference: The 9th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 7 December 2010, http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2010/12/press-conference-the-9th-session-of-the-assembly-of-states-parties-to-the-rome-statute-of-the-international-criminal-court.html 6. “ICC chief prosecutor stresses importance of cooperation with Colombia”, Good Morning Colombia, 8 December 2010, http://www.goodmorningcolombia.com/?p=8831