ICC Registrar Election 2023: Open Letter To NBA, Ministries Of Justice & Foreign Affairs

4-4-22

To Whom It May Concern: Federal Ministry of Justice; Federal Ministry Of Foreign Affairs; Nigeria Bar Association

The next Registrar of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will be elected by the Court’s judges in March 2023.

The vacancy announcement for the position has been recently published, with a deadline for individual applications on 1 May 2022.

We are writing to encourage Nigeria to take measures to ensure a wide circulation of this vacancy at the national level.

The International Criminal Court is the first permanent international criminal court.

By fairly and impartially adjudicating the most serious international crimes and bringing justice to victims, the ICC can contribute to the advancement of the rule of law and sustainable peace.

The role of the ICC Registry in the operations of the Court is critical to ensuring the efficiency of its judicial processes, supporting complex international crimes proceedings, including witness protection and state cooperation, and closing the gap between the Court’s work and affected communities through outreach, public information, and facilitating victim participation.

This makes it important to ensure the deepest possible pool of qualified candidates for this position.

To that end, it is crucial the vacancy is circulated widely including through government ministries, within international organizations, and bar or other associations of judicial professionals.

The vacancy can be found here. Many thanks for your consideration.

Best regards, Prince Charles Boniface Offokaja, Director General, Prince & Princess Charles Offokaja Foundations (Nigeria & Switzerland)