Seminar on the Protection of Witnesses for Anglophone African States Parties to the Rome Statute

Technical Event to Enhance Cooperation |

Arusha | United Republic of Tanzania (the) | African States

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This high level seminar on witness protection was organized by the ICC with support and funding from Norway and the Netherlands as the co-facilitators for cooperation, as well as Estonia and authorities of the United Republic of Tanzania. The event gathered Ministers of Justice and other high ranking officials from nine Anglophone African States Parties to the Rome Statute (Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia), including the Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Justice of Tanzania, Uganda, Lesotho, Zambia, Namibia. Other participants included the ICC Prosecutor, Registrar, and other staff, as well as representatives from the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) and the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC). Amongst other things, the seminar focused on the reinforcement of national capacities in the area of witness protection and the sharing of best practices and experiences among participants and the Court in this crucial field.

ICC technical events focus on enhancing cooperation at operational levels amongst senior legal officials and other experts in Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Ministries of Justice, Ministries of Interior, as well as regional and international organisations, so as to allow the Court to carry out its mandate in an efficient and effective manner. In this regard, the Court’s technical events are specific in nature, focusing in particular on technical issues such as victim and witness protection, cooperation agreements, investigations, freezing of assets, arrest and surrender, enforcement of sentences, implementing legislation, ratification of the Rome Statute, strategies and policies, and the role of national experts in international criminal justice matters.

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Seminar on the Protection of Witnesses for Anglophone African States Parties to the Rome Statute