Regional seminar on the ICC to take place in Yaoundé, Cameroon, between 4 and 8 October

On Monday 4 October, a regional training seminar will open in Yaoundé, Cameroon, bringing together prominent legal professionals from eight francophone countries in central Africa. The seminar, on the theme “Shared perspectives on the outlook and challenges of international criminal justice: the International Criminal Court and national courts”, which has been organised by the International Criminal Court (ICC) with the support of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice of Cameroon, will be held between 4 and 8 October 2010.

The aim of this event is to raise awareness of the Court's mandate and jurisdiction, as well as its activities and functioning. Participants will include representatives of the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice, national bar associations and civil society organisations from eight countries: Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Rwanda. They will meet with senior representatives of the Court and other international experts on various themes regarding the place of the Court in the international criminal justice system, its mandate and structure, the principles governing its jurisdiction, and the rights of the parties and participants in its proceedings.

Further, the seminar will lay the foundation for continuous dialogue and establish a network for the exchange of information between the Court and the participants in this conference to promote sustained and lasting cooperation.

The International Criminal Court is the only permanent international court with the mission to help put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, namely the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and thus to contribute to the prevention of such crimes.

For further information, please contact Sonia Robla, Head of the Public Information and Documentation Section on +31 (0)70 515-8089 or on +31 (0) 6 46 44 87 26 or at [email protected].

To make contact with Cameroon, please contact Caroline Maurel between 4 and 8 October on +31 (0)6 46 44 87 26 or at [email protected]