NPWJ was founded in 1993 with the aim of achieving an effective international system of justice, committing first and foremost to the establishment of the ad hoc Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. NPWJ has been one of the organisations at the forefront of promoting the effective operations of the then future International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate and prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Since the beginning of the process of the establishment and operations of the ICC, NPWJ has implemented hundreds of activities and campaigns to support it.

NPWJ continues to follow the work of the ICC closely, aiming at strengthening its ability to work efficiently and effectively. Still today, the ICC continues to face challenges to its credibility and ability to work, including political attacks and the spread of misinformation about it and limited resources. The ICC also faces policy and implementation challenges at the ICC in areas that hinder its ability to be effective, efficient and have a positive impact. The ICC Independent Expert Review (IER) provides an opportunity to understand and address these challenges and NPWJ has engaged actively with that process. To fulfil its goal of strengthening the ICC, NPWJ carries out advocacy activities, among others, for field presence, outreach, situation-specific completion strategies and the rights of the child.

These activities are linked to research carried out on best practices and lessons learned in these areas from the ICC and from other jurisdictions. Advocacy is conducted through engagement with the ICC itself, with the State Parties on these challenges faced by the court and by human rights defenders involved with the work of the court, with civil society colleagues around the world and with public messaging to raise general awareness of the importance of these issues.