The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, appoints Patricia V. Sellers as her Special Adviser on Gender

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or the "Court"), Mrs Fatou Bensouda, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Patricia Viseur Sellers as her Special Adviser on Gender.

Ms Sellers is an international criminal lawyer with more than two decades of experience working in the fields of international criminal justice and human rights as a practitioner, lecturer, policy adviser, and advocate for women's rights and gender equality. In the ongoing implementation of the Office's Policy Paper on Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes, Ms Sellers will, inter alia, provide advice to the Prosecutor. Her immediate priority will be to further strengthen the Office's approach to a range of gender issues and, support office-wide strategic responses to sexual and gender-based crimes under the Rome Statute.

"Since the adoption of our Policy on Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes in 2014, the Office has been involved in various implementation initiatives. Further integrating a gender perspective into all areas of our work is a priority for me. Ms Sellers is a renowned expert on gender issues and her deep knowledge and experience in this field will be of benefit to my Office", said Prosecutor Bensouda.

In making this appointment, the Prosecutor thanks her outgoing Special Gender Adviser, Ms Brigid Inder - a champion and tireless defender of women's rights and gender justice in her own right - for the notable contributions she has made to the work of the Office since her appointment in August 2012, in particular to the development of the Office's Policy Paper on Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes. 

For more background regarding Ms Patricia V. Sellers, click here.

Under article 42.9 of the Rome Statute, the Prosecutor may appoint Special Advisors with legal expertise on specific issues, including, but not limited to, sexual and gender violence. Special Advisors to the Prosecutor work on a voluntary pro bono basis. They are required to sign a confidentiality agreement with the Office of the Prosecutor, and are bound by the 'Standards of Conduct' stipulated in Annex I to Administrative Instruction ICC/AI/2016/002.