Turning Rhetoric into Reform: Strengthening Outreach and Victim Participation at the ICC.

02 July 2025
Author: 
Victims' Rights Working Group (VRWG)
File: 
PDF icon VRWG_Briefing paper_Turning Rhetoric into Reform Strengthening Outreach and Victim Participation at the ICC_July 2025.pdf
Document type: 
Report
Topics: 
During the ICC seminar “Victims’ Strategy 2025: A Renewed Commitment” (1–2 July 2025), the Victims’ Rights Working Group (VRWG) published a new briefing paper: Turning Rhetoric into Reform: Strengthening Outreach and Victim Participation at the ICC.
  • The VRWG is a network of 179 civil society organisations working to uphold the rights and interests of victims in International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings. Co-led by FIDH and REDRESS and hosted by the Coalition for the ICC, the VRWG was reconvened in 2024 to renew its engagement on victims’ rights at the ICC, including contributing to the Court’s review of its 2012 Victims’ Strategy. While the current revision of the Strategy offers an important opportunity, consultations with Court staff and VRWG members have revealed concerns about the lack of clarity, consistency, and meaningful inclusion of victims in the revision process.
  • This briefing paper draws on those consultations to identify concrete areas for reform. It outlines persistent challenges and offers targeted recommendations to address three key issues: (1) the absence of early, two-way outreach; (2) restrictive jurisprudence that undermines meaningful victim participation; and (3) operational and procedural obstacles, including serious shortcomings in legal aid implementation.