On Friday 4 June 2010, on the margins of the ICC Review Conference held in Kampala, Uganda, No Peace Without Justice organized a public presentation of its book “Closing the Gap: The role of non-judicial mechanisms in addressing impunity”. The event was held in the premises of the “People’s Space”, established at the Review Conference venue as a forum where civil society working on issues of peacebuilding and the fight against impunity can showcase their work.
Speakers at the event included: Ms. Silvana Arbia, ICC Registrar; Commissioner Hassan Omar Hassan, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights; Abdul Rahim Kamara, Executive Director of Manifesto99 (Sierra Leone); John Santos, Chairman of Uganda Victims Foundation, Niccolò Figà-Talamanca, Secretary General of NPWJ, and Alison Smith, Coordinator of the International Criminal Justice Program at NPWJ.
The book, which contains a preface by Emma Bonino, Vice-President of the Italian senate and founder of NPWJ, examines and analyses the role of non-judicial accountability mechanisms in fulfilling the principle of complementarity, by considering how different approaches have both succeeded and failed across different circumstances. In recognising that no single mechanism can meet a country’s accountability needs, this Report aims at providing impetus for a more rigorous consideration of the interplay between different mechanisms and their potential contribution to accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Background on the People’s Space:
The “People’s Space” is coordinated and organised by HURINET-U, UCICC and NPWJ during the Review Conference of the ICC Rome Statute, to be held in Kampala, Uganda from 31 May to 11 June 2010.
The goal of the People’s Space is to afford civil society, particularly victims’ and affected communities’ representatives, an opportunity to participate directly in the Review Conference, which can contribute to the evaluation of the ICC’s impact on victims and affected communities during the stocktaking process. During the Conference, a briefing will also be organised where State and civil society representatives who participated in the pre-Review Conference visits can brief other Conference delegates on their experiences.
For further information, contact Alison Smith on asmith@npwj.org or +32-2-548 39 12 or Nicola Giovannini onngiovannini@npwj.org or +32-2-548-39 15.
