2019 Election for the Advisory Committee on Nominations
The Advisory Committee on Nominations (ACN) is an independent organ tasked with assessing the experience and qualifications of the persons seeking to serve as judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC). It makes formal recommendations in the weeks leading up to the elections. The ACN plays a vital role in ensuring that individuals of the highest competence, impartiality and integrity sit on the bench of the ICC.
The Committee is made up of nine members who are nationals of States Parties. Its structure is designed in such a way to ensure a fair gender balance, as well as providing that the different legal systems and regions of the world are represented. Members serve for a term of three years with the possibility of being re-elected a second time. At present, the ACN is made up of five men and three women, from Palestine, Romania, France, the United Kingdom, Kenya, Botswana, Bolivia, and Brazil respectively.
The election this year will take place in The Hague during the eighteenth session of the Assembly of States Parties, from December 2-7 2019.
The Nomination Process
States Parties nominate candidates from their own states and submit a description of their candidate’s qualifications, in addition to a curriculum vitae as part of their formal nomination. The nomination period was open for twelve weeks, from June 3rd to August 25th, 2019, during which one candidate was nominated for a single vacancy.
Eligibility for Nomination
Members of the ACN must be of a high moral character, with demonstrated experience in criminal or international law. They must also act in their personal and independent capacity, irrespective of their own states’ interests.
The Candidates for this Election
The Republic of Korea nominated former President and judge of the ICC Judge Sang-Hyun Song. He served as a judge of the Court from 2003 to 2015 and as President of the Court from 2009 - 2015.
Note: Coalition for the ICC does not endorse or oppose individual candidates but the individual member organization of the Coalition may take positions on particular candidates. These positions represent the views of those respective organizations and should not be taken as representative of the Coalition’s views.
