International Criminal Court holds outreach session with young people in the 2nd arrondissement of Bangui, Central African Republic
On Monday, 11 May 2009, the Outreach Team in Bangui held an information session for young people of the 2nd arrondissement. The meeting was part of a large-scale outreach campaign which has been ongoing since January 2009 in the various sub-divisions of the Central African capital.
This outreach session was organised in partnership with the Association of Millennium Development Leaders (ALMD). The event drew a large number of associations, students and high school pupils.
The outreach session was held at the Centre Jean XXIII and attracted more than 130 young people, who came seeking information on the mandate, jurisdiction and activities of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The young audience also received information about the four situations currently before the Court (namely, the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Uganda; Darfur, Sudan; and the Central African Republic). Staff members of the ICC answered a large number of questions put by the young people on various topics, and an interesting debate ensued.
The second part of the session focused on the confirmation hearing in the case of The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo which took place in The Hague from 12 to 15 January 2009. Videos summarising the four days of hearings were screened, and the progress of the proceedings since March was explained.
The participants expressed their satisfaction with the outreach session and said that they would pass on the information about the Court to their family and friends. They also urged the Outreach Unit to organise more of this type of event within the most affected communities of the 2nd arrondissement.
For more detailed information, please contact Fabienne Chassagneux, Field Outreach Coordinator in Bangui, at + 236 75 76 36 09 or [email protected].