The President of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or the “Court”), Judge Piotr Hofmański, concluded yesterday a three-day official mission to the seat of the United Nations (UN) in New York, during which he met with the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, as well as with other UN officials and representatives of States and civil society. In his meetings, President Hofmański highlighted the Court’s unprecedented level of judicial activity and called for the widest possible support of the international community for the Court’s independent mandate and its activities taking place on several different continents.
During his meeting with Secretary-General Guterres on Tuesday 5 April 2022, President Hofmański conveyed to the Secretary-General the Court’s deep appreciation of the continued support and cooperation of the United Nations, which remains as important as ever as the Court copes with an unprecedented workload, including a record number of five trials taking place this year. Secretary-General Guterres renewed assurances of his and the United Nations’ firm commitment to supporting the Court in its efforts aimed at addressing the gravest crimes under international law. Discussions during the meeting further underlined the paramount importance of respecting the Court’s independence as a judicial institution as well as the importance of continued efforts to encourage all States that have not yet done so to join the Court’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, in order to strengthen the international criminal justice system, to enhance the deterrence of atrocities and to promote access to justice for victims everywhere. President Hofmański also met separately with Mr Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, and Ms Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, in the context of the collaborative relations between the ICC and the United Nations.
While in New York, the ICC President also met with the Vice-President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, Ambassador Bob Rae, and briefed the Assembly’s New York Working Group on the Court’s current judicial workload and other activities, notably including efforts to enhance the Court’s operations in the context of the ongoing Review process being conducted jointly by the Assembly and the Court. President Hofmański also held a number of meetings aimed at promoting universal ratification of the Rome Statute and met with representatives of non-governmental organizations based in New York.