President of the ICC to Address General Assembly

Media Advisory – 6 October 2006

President of the ICC to Address UN General Assembly on Monday

WHAT: On Monday, 9 October 2006, the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Philippe Kirsch, will present his second annual report of the ICC to the United Nations General Assembly. Judge Kirsch will be addressing the General Assembly about the Court’s activities and planning during 2005-2006. This address will provide an update to the Court’s 3 August 2006 report [UN Doc. A/61/217] which stressed the crucial need for cooperation from States, the UN and other international organizations in ensuring the ICC’s future success, especially with regard to executing ICC arrest warrants: “Over one year has passed since the Court issued its first warrants of arrest and the five subjects of the warrants remain at large. If trials are to be held, States and international organizations must assist the Court by arresting and surrendering those persons and others for whom warrants are issued in the future.” The report also discusses the continuing difficulties the ICC is having in conducting investigations in on-going conflict situations like Darfur and provides updates on the status of the Court’s first three cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Sudan.

WHEN: Monday’s address by Judge Kirsch is due to start at approximately 12:00 pm (EST) in New York. If delayed, it will open the afternoon session of the Assembly at 3:00 pm (EST). The President’s previous address to the Assembly took place on 8 November 2005.
The President’s address will be webcast on the UN’s website at: http://www.un.org/webcast/index.asp
WHO: Judge Philippe Kirsch (Canada) was elected as an ICC judge from the Western European and others Group of States (WEOG) in February 2003. He was then elected to serve as President of the ICC in March 2003. In addition, he was assigned to the ICC Appeals Division along with Judge Georghios Pikis (Cyprus), Judge Navi Pillay (South Africa), Judge Sang-hyun Song (Republic of Korea), and Judge Erkki Kourula (Finland). In 1998, Judge Kirsch served as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole of the Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court. He was also Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court (1999 to 2002).
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Important notice: The Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) is not an organ of the International Criminal Court. The CICC is an independent NGO movement dedicated to the establishment of the International Criminal Court as a fair, effective, and independent international organization. The Coalition as a whole, and its secretariat, does not endorse or promote specific investigations or prosecutions or take a position on situations before the ICC. However, individual CICC members may endorse referrals, provide legal and other support on investigations, or develop partnerships with local and other organizations in the course of their efforts.

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