On 21 September 2021, the International Criminal Court (ICC) held a virtual gathering with the participation of 14 Legal Professionals Alumni who had conducted a placement at the Court within the past five years. The gathering was held online due to COVID-19 restrictions and was organised with the financial support of the European Commission (EC).
The EC offers yearly stipends to legal professionals, the so-called EC Grant, which has financially supported the ICC’s Legal Professionals Programme (LPP) for several years. The LPP allows representatives and professionals from EU third countries that are situation countries, countries in which the ICC is conducting preliminary investigations, and any other relevant developing countries that are a State Party, to undergo an LPP placement at the Court and provides the selected individuals with an opportunity to develop their legal knowledge next to enhancing national capacities to investigate and prosecute crimes defined in the Rome Statute.
During the gathering, ICC speakers provided presentations on inter alia recent judicial developments at the Court as well as the Court’s cooperation with States and the complementarity principle. An interactive discussion followed during which participants were invited to share their experiences during and after their LPP placements and to exchange ideas on the improvement of the LPP. The event also was the first step in establishing an LPP Alumni Network with the aim to bring alumni and the Court together to pursue further ongoing exchange.
Keep an eye on the Vacancies page of the ICC website to apply to the next LP programme.