New International Criminal Court Bar Association launched in The Hague

On 30 June and 1 July 2016, the International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA), the first Bar Association for Counsel and their Assistants practising before the International Criminal Court (ICC), was created. The launch of the ICCBA took place at the seat of the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, following a three-day training session for Counsel and represents an important step forward in the institutional development of the Court.

Some of the main objectives of this new independent Bar Association are to protect the general interests of Counsel appearing before the Court, to reinforce the full independence of Counsel, to strengthen equality of arms, and to enhance the quality of justice at the ICC.

During the two-day event, the Court hosted the ICCBA Constitutional Congress which adopted the Constitution of the Bar Association. In addition, the General Assembly elected Counsel David Hooper QC as the new ICCBA President, as well as the members of the Executive Council and other Committees.

In their remarks at the event, ICC President Silvia Fernández, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and ICC Registrar Herman von Hebel jointly welcomed the establishment of the ICCBA, with due regard to the legal framework of the Court. Furthermore, they expressed their support for a mutual beneficial relation between the Court and the ICCBA in the future.

Relevant information, including the Constitution and elections results, are available on the ICCBA website at: http://www.iccba-abcpi.org/#!home/mainPage.

For further information, please contact Sonia Robla, Chief of Public Information Section, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-8089 or 31 (0)6 46448726 or by e-mail at: publicaffairs.unit @icc-cpi.int.

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