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Informal Daily Summary from the ASP10: Tuesday, 20 December 2011

20 Dec 2011

Dear all,

The tenth 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 at the ASP (I) as well as related documents and news coverage (II).

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=asp10
Official ASP documents and journals can be found on the ICC-ASP website at: http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ASP/Sessions/Documentation/10th+Session/Tenth+session+of+the+Assembly+of+States+Parties.htm
We also suggest you to follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/_CICC and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CoalitionfortheInternationalCriminalCourt where timely ASP updates are posted.

Pictures of the event can be viewed on the Coalition's Flickr account at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coalitionforicc/
Regards,

CICC Secretariat,
www.coalitionfortheicc.org

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I. CICC ASP10 INFORMAL SUMMARY: TUESDAY 20 DECEMBER 2011

A. PLENARY SESSION

The seventh day of the ASP began with the last session of informal consultations on the Omnibus Resolution, ‘Strengthening the International Criminal Court and the Assembly of States Parties’, concluding the final draft of the Resolution for adoption during tomorrow’s eighth plenary session.

The Working Group on the budget held several closed meetings during the course of the day and discussions were ongoing at time of writing.

Recommendations from the Coalition’s budget and finance team can be found at: http://coalitionfortheicc.org/documents/CICC_Budget_and_Finance_Team_Paper_ASP10.pdf
The Report of the Committee on Budget and Finance on the work of its seventeenth session can be found at: http://icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_docs/ASP10/ICC-ASP-10-15-ENG.pdf

During the plenary meeting in the evening, the Credential Committee gave its report. States then adopted a resolution on cooperation, amendments to the rule 4 of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, and a resolution on reparations. The draft resolution on the Permanent Premises, Omnibus and Budget are expected to be adopted tomorrow.

B. SIDE EVENTS

Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/) organized, together with Costa Rica, Norway and Switzerland, a panel discussion on “Challenges for the next ICC Prosecutor”. Speakers included David Tolbert, President of the International Centre for Transitional Justice, Elizabeth Evenson, Senior Counsel, Human Rights Watch, Miia Aro-Sanchez, First Secretary, Embassy of Finland and Martin Sørby, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway. Issues raised included some of the key challenges for the Office of the Prosecutor and the Prosecutor-elect Fatou Bensouda in 2012, particularly in light of the office’s change of leadership and the Court’s budgetary situation. The role of states parties and the ASP in supporting the Prosecutor’s office with respect to fostering greater cooperation was also discussed. Particular mention was made of the importance of communication. Representatives from various states, the Office of the Prosecutor, and civil society were also in attendance.

In the afternoon, the chair of the Oversight Committee on Permanent Premises, Roberto Bellelli (Italy), gave a presentation on the status of the ICC permanent premises project. Neil Bradley, ASP Permanent Premises Project Director, gave an overview of the project’s finances and presented the final design of the permanent premises. This was followed by a questions and answers session with states parties and civil society representatives on key issues. The draft resolution on the Permanent Premises is expected to be adopted tomorrow.
To read the Report of the Oversight Committee and the annexed draft resolution visit: http://icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_docs/ASP10/ICC-ASP-10-22-ENG.pdf.
The ICC Permanent Premises webpage can be found at: http://www.icc-cpi.int/menus/icc/about the court/permanent premises/permanent premises?lan=en-GB

II. RELATED DOCUMENTS AND NEWS COVERAGE

1. CICC recommendations, papers and statements: http://coalitionfortheicc.org/?mod=asp10
2. ASP documents and journals: http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ASP/Sessions/Documentation/10th+Session/Tenth+session+of+the+Assembly+of+States+Parties.htm
3. “Member countries fight over international court's budget,” Rebecca Hamilton, Reuters, 20 December 2011, http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFN1E7BJ0C420111220?sp=true
4. “Second Week of ICC Assembly of States Parties Opens with Negotiations on Budget for 2012 and Omnibus Resolution,” AMICC Blog, 19 December 2011, http://amicc.blogspot.com/2011/12/second-week-of-icc-assembly-of-states.html
5. “ICC prosecutor warns cash cuts put probes at risk,” AFP, 17 December 2011, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gkKObhtHO5iu5tMCykOS-uxD0xYw?docId=CNG.04f1ea4494cd11f8f6bbe3cf278762e1.431
6. “The Crime of Aggression: Beyond Kampala,” Teddy Nicholson, Justice in Conflict, 20 December 2011, http://justiceinconflict.org/2011/12/20/the-crime-of-aggression-beyond-kampala/#more-2276
7. “Two American students, members of the International Criminal Court Student Network, detail their experiences at the ASP in New York,” Hague Justice Portal, 20 December 2011, http://www.haguejusticeportal.net/eCache/DEF/13/025.TGFuZz1FTg.html
8. “ICC/JUDGES - STATES ELECT SIX NEW ICC JUDGES,” Hirondelle News, 19 December 2011, http://www.hirondellenews.com/content/view/15095/564/
9. “New ICC chief prosecutor will bring a fresh perspective,” Ferry Biedermann, The National, 21 December 2011, http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/europe/new-icc-chief-prosecutor-will-bring-a-fresh-perspective
10. “Nigerian listed as category ‘A’ judge of International Criminal Court,” Next, 20 December 2011, http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5749779-146/nigerian_listed_as_category_a_judge.csp
11. “CPI: Un avocat nigérian nommé juge (ICC: A Nigerian lawyer named judge),” PANA, 19 December 2011, http://www.afriquejet.com/avocat-cpi-2011121929905.html