Promoting entry into force of the Rome Statute: The Preparatory Committee (1998-2002)

Following the Rome Conference in 1998, NPWJ’s international campaign, “Ratification Now!” focused on the early entry into force of the Rome Statute. NPWJ organised numerous inter‑governmental regional conferences in every region of the world, together with the host Governments, to promote political will towards achieving the 60 ratifications necessary for the Rome Statute’s entry into force, which was achieved on 1 July 2002.
 
The NPWJ international activities on ratification have involved a series of conferences targeting particular regions of the world, namely  the Caribbean (Port of Spain, 15-17 March 1999); Western Africa (Bamako, Mali 1-2 December 2000; Freetown, Sierra Leone, 20-22 February 2001; Accra, Ghana, 22-23 February 2001); Europe (Rome, Italy, 17 July 2000; The Hague, Netherlands, 18 December 2000; and Amsterdam, Netherlands, 25-26 January 2002); Asia and the Pacific (Manila, 16-18 October 2001); Central and Eastern Europe (Prague, Czech Republic, 7-8 December 2001); the Mediterranean (Sevilla, Spain, 8-9 February 2002); Latin America (Mexico City, Mexico, 7-8 March 2002).
 
NPWJ has also organised and/or participated in numerous training courses for governments, jurists and civil society on the International Criminal Court and on other international or internationalised courts and tribunals.
 
To complement its work on ratification, since the entry into force of the Rome Statute, NPWJ has also had a primary focus on national implementation of its provisions, promoting the drafting and adoption of implementing legislation for the ICC. To that end, NPWJ organised several conferences and technical meetings, including in Phnom Penh (9-10 October 2002), Maseru, Lesotho (20-24 January 2003), Nottingham (16-25 June 2003), Sana'a, Yemen (10-12 January 2004), and a national consultative seminar in Freetown (11-15 December 2006) for participants from all parts of society in Sierra Leone, including lawyers, Parliamentarians, government officials and civil society.