No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) welcomes the consultations undertaken by the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on its draft Policy on Complementarity and Cooperation, both prior to and after the production of the draft, and the opportunity to provide written comments on the draft policy. We have participated in these consultations and others relating to different OTP policies 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 adheres to the Joint NGO Comments on the “[Draft] Policy on Complementarity and Cooperation (September 2023)” submitted to the OTP as part of this consultation process and makes our own submission that covers additional areas. This submission is divided into three parts. The first part concerns elements of the draft that NPWJ particularly welcomes and supports (“Positive elements”). This part highlights those elements and concepts that NPWJ believes should be retained and for which reasons. The second part concerns elements of the draft 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 draft policy that are currently absent (“Suggestions for additions”). This part contains specific recommendations and the reasoning behind the suggestions.
- Download the NPWJ Submission on the OTP Draft Policy on Complementarity and Cooperation (pdf format)
For further information, please contact Alison Smith, International Justice Director, on asmith@npwj.org
