Search:

Hague farewell seminar in honour of ICC President Philipp Kirsch

On Friday 6^th February 2009, academic institutions in The Hague held a joint seminar at the premises of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs in honour Philippe Kirsch, the outgoing President of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The seminar was focused on the theme of Judicial Independence – Operational Interdependence: Perspectives on the Judicial Mandate of the ICC.

Over the past six years, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been active to develop its profile as a judicial institution. The Court is about to define its role and place in the landscape of international law and international institutions. One of the main challenges of its mandate is to reconcile judicial independence and operational interdependence.

The event was attended by eminent experts from the legal, academic and diplomatic community in The Hague and invited guests and scholars. In his keynote address, Professor William Schabas (National University of Ireland, Galway) praised President Kirsch’ unique contribution to the creation of the ICC and its establishment as a judicial institution on the international plane, first as a negotiator, and then as judge and first President of the Court.   

Speakers and discussants from academia and practice explored the link between judicial independence and operational independence from two angles: (i) the role and significance of judicial independence and behaviour for the legitimacy the Court, and (ii) the limits of decisional and institutional independence in a global and decentralised architecture of international justice.