No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) welcomes the consultations undertaken by the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the renewal of its Policy on Children and the opportunity to provide written comments. We have participated in these consultations and others relating to different OTP policies, including on the Policy on Children itself, and continue to believe such consultations are important not just in terms of the content of submissions the OTP may receive, but also in terms of a concrete expression of the OTP’s commitment to transparency and cooperation, including with civil society.
NPWJ submission on the OTP Renewal of its Policy on Children is divided into three parts. The first part concerns elements of the Policy that NPWJ particularly welcomes and supports (“Key existing elements”). This part highlights those elements and concepts that NPWJ believes should be safeguarded during the renewal process and for which reasons. The second part concerns elements of the Policy that NPWJ believes could usefully be clarified, amended or expanded (“Suggestions on specific elements”). This part focuses both on language and concepts, including some aspects that may seem less significant, but which could cause confusion. The third part concerns elements that NPWJ believes should be included in the Policy that are currently absent (“Suggestions for additions”). This part contains specific recommendations on additional elements to include in the Policy and the reasoning behind those suggestions.
For further information, please contact Alison Smith, International Justice Director, on asmith@npwj.org
