Admissibility of the ICC’s Simone Gbagbo case confirmed
On the picture Judge Piotr Hofmański during the delivery of the Judgment of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the admissibility of the Simone Gbagbo case on 27 May 2015 ©ICC-CPI
Today, 27 May 2015, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered its judgment by which it rejected the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire’s appeal and confirmed the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I’s decision of 11 December 2014, which declared the case against Simone Gbagbo admissible before the Court.
On 30 September 2013, Côte d’Ivoire challenged the admissibility of the case against Simone Gbagbo, arguing that the same case was being prosecuted at the national level. On 11 December 2014, Pre-Trial Chamber I rejected Côte d’Ivoire’s challenge and concluded that Côte d’Ivoire’s domestic authorities were not taking tangible, concrete and progressive steps aimed at ascertaining whether Simone Gbagbo is criminally responsible for the same conduct alleged in the case before the Court. On 17 December 2014, Côte d’Ivoire appealed Pre-Trial Chamber I’s decision.
Judge Piotr Hofmański, Presiding Judge in this appeal, delivered a summary of the judgment in open session. He indicated that the Appeals Chamber considered the two grounds of appeal that were raised by Côte d’Ivoire and concluded that they did not demonstrate any errors of fact or law in the Pre-Trial Chamber’s decision.
The Appeals Chamber found no error in the Pre-Trial Chamber’s assessment of the conduct underlying the crimes allegedly investigated domestically and concluded that the Pre-Trial Chamber did not apply overly rigorous criteria in determining that no relevant investigations or prosecutions were ongoing at the national level. The Appeals Chamber also noted that Côte d’Ivoire failed to demonstrate that it was unreasonable for the Pre-Trial Chamber to conclude that, on the basis of the available documentation, the factual parameters of the case or cases being investigated domestically were unclear.
Furthermore, as regards the Pre-Trial Chamber’s assessment of the nature of the crimes allegedly being investigated domestically, namely economic crimes and crimes against the State, the Appeals Chamber concluded that it was not unreasonable for the Chamber to find this conduct to be of a different nature to Ms Simone Gbagbo’s conduct, as alleged before the ICC, in relation to the crimes against humanity of murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution and other inhumane acts.
The Appeals Chamber emphasised that its review was limited to the issue of the correctness of the Pre-Trial Chamber’s decision, which determined the admissibility of the case as of the date of its issuance.
According to the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty, a challenge to the admissibility of a case can be brought only once before the Court; however, “in exceptional circumstances, the Court may grant leave for a challenge to be brought more than once”.
Judgment on the appeal of Côte d’Ivoire against the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I of 11 December 2014 entitled “Decision on Côte d’Ivoire’s challenge to the admissibility of the case against Simone Gbagbo”
Background: On 29 February 2012, the judges issued a warrant of arrest under seal against Ms Gbagbo. The warrant of arrest was unsealed on 22 November 2012. According to the warrant of arrest, Ms Gbagbo is allegedly responsible, within the meaning of article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute, for the crimes against humanity of murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, other inhumane acts and persecution allegedly committed in the territory of Côte d’Ivoire during the period between 16 December 2010 and 12 April 2011. On 20 January 2015, the Appeals Chamber rejected the request for suspensive effect of the appeal against the Pre-Trial Chamber’s decision of 11 December 2014, which had reminded Côte d’Ivoire of its obligation to surrender Simone Gbagbo to the Court without delay. The arrest warrant remains pending and Ms Gbagbo is not in the ICC’s custody.
Africa Day 2015
By Antonia Barthel.
On the 22nd of May 2015, the group of African Ambassadors accredited to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, hosted the 52th Annual Africa Day reception at the Bel Air Hotel in The Hague.
The celebrations commemorate the signing of the African Unity Charter, which were signed by thirty African countries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the 25th of May 1963. The Dean of the African group of Ambassadors to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Her Excellency Mrs. Nimota Nihinlola Akanbi the Ambassador of Nigeria, announced the theme of this year’s celebration. Women Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063 which she defined as “crucial to achieving desired development in any society”.
For a photo-album of the African Day in The Hague, please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/
Additionally the cooperation and development of Africa as a unity were addressed during her opening remarks. “We must continue to challenge ourselves each day to keep building our continent”. This was underlined by a variety of African Flags in the background, which accentuated the diversity of the continent.
The celebratory atmosphere was underlined by African live music and local dances. The uniting ambience and the great achievement of the organization of this event as well as organization between the African countries was palpable. Later, the 300 guests were invited to savor a lavishing buffet with local specialties form various African cuisines.
Additionally the cooperation and development of Africa as a unity were addressed during her opening remarks. “We must continue to challenge ourselves each day to keep building our continent”. This was underlined by a variety of African Flags in the background, which accentuated the diversity of the continent.
The celebratory atmosphere was underlined by African live music and local dances. The uniting ambience and the great achievement of the organization of this event as well as organization between the African countries was palpable. Later, the 300 guests were invited to savor a lavishing buffet with local specialties form various African cuisines.
The International Decade for Action “Water for Life”
Participation of the UN Secretary-General at the High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015
On 20 May 2015 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan there was held a briefing for the heads and representatives of the diplomatic missions and international organization accredited in Dushanbe during which it was informed that H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-Moon the UN Secretary-General would participate at the High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015 to be held on 9-11 June 2015 in Dushanbe.
It was particularly highlighted that the participation of the UN Secretary-General at the Dushanbe Conference confirms the importance of this international event for the United Nations and the entire international community, especially in light of the development and adoption of sustainable development goals, one of which is sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
The High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015 will be held in accordance with the UN General Assembly resolution of 19 December 2014, entitled “International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”, 2005–2015, and further efforts to achieve the sustainable development of water resources.”
The primary objective of the Conference is a comprehensive discussion of the issues of implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015, which will later play a crucial role in conducting a comprehensive review of the implementation of the International Decade by raising the awareness of the wider international community about its results.
With a view of successful holding of the Conference, the National Preparatory Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister of Tajikistan, a Working group, consisting of the representatives of ministries and agencies, as well as the Secretariat of the Conference are continuing the work to attract UN Member States, international and regional organizations, basin organizations, the private sector and other stakeholders to actively participate in the Conference.
The Conference programme consists of two high-level plenary session, two thematic sessions on the implementation of the Decade, six high-level round tables, four pre-conference events on such themes as “Water and children”, “Water and Women”, “Water and least developed countries and small island developing states” and “Water and mountainous countries”. The pre-conference events will be hold on 8 June 2015 in the National Library building.
Regarding the participation in the work of the Conference it is worth mentioning that as of today the Conference secretariat has received confirmation of participation of about 72 delegations of the UN Member States, including at the level of prime minister, deputy prime ministers, as well as foreign ministers and ministers of water resources and irrigation of the UN member states.
Among other institutions and specialized agencies of the United Nations as of today such organizations as Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNESCO, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN-Water, UN-Women, UNEP, UNU, UN-HABITAT, ISDR, etc. have confirmed their participation. There are confirmations of participation of the UN Regional Commissions – UNECE, UNECA and UNESCAP.
From the international and regional financial institutions the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Eurasian Development Bank will participate at the Conference. Thus, today more than 50 international and regional organizations have already confirmed their participation at the Conference.The total number of registered participants for today is about 750 people representing all regions of the world.
The Dushanbe Conference will provide a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to exchange views, knowledge, achievements and practices for the implementation of the International Decade, the difficulties and challenges in the implementation of the decade, and, at the same time, will develop key recommendations for the next steps for post 2015 period.
Business Round-table Discussion
Table Talk – An interactive discussion based wine & business evening.
On 28 May, 2015 the Hungarian Business Network (HBN) in cooperation with the Embassy of Hungary in The Hague is hosting a Business Round-table Discussion followed by networking and drinks in Novotel Amsterdam.
Are you looking for the best way to get ahead in business in Central Europe? Learn from others with these personal looks into their motivations, successes, failures and lessons learned. Listen to inspiring entrepreneurs about their own success story.
Moderator: Zsolt Szabó, HBN Advisory Board, Round-table Guests: H.E. Orsolya Szijjártó, Ambassador of Hungary in the Netherlands, Frido Diepeveen, Commercial Director – Randstad Hungary, Dr. Sándor Erdei , CEO DBH Group, Anna Balázs, Founder of NaarBudapest, Loránt Lakatos, Founder Duna Incentives Trainings and Events.
Program: Doors open at 18.00
Networking and Drinks: 20.00-21.00
Live music: After the program plays Frido Diepeveen & Co. Hungarian Gipsy music
Price: Free entrance for HBN members.
For non-members: 25 euro, including drinks, Hungarian wine and finger food.
Location: Hotel Novotel Amsterdam City, Europaboulevard 10 1083 AD Amsterdam
Parking: free parking, limited places based on availability.
Manners in Rwanda
Manners in Rwanda an educational, cultural, touristic guide all about Rwanda!
Many visitors to Rwanda have little knowledge of how some basic things are done in Rwanda. Many don’t know how to travel around the country since there are no metro, trams, and trains yet, or how to officially register as a resident. Relocating overseas to a foreign country is adventurous and can also be challenging now and then.
To make their stay much easier and more successful, Manners in Rwanda deals with the most basic facts travellers should know, and also provides them with insights into local manners, mentality, and situations, ranging from religious attitudes to recommended hotels and restaurants. In addition, the book offers travel tips, cultural insights, vocabularies, and language notes people will need to get around, make friends, do meaningful work, and demonstrate respect for the local people and customs.
” Manners in Rwanda” has been published by an American book publishing house called Inkwaterpress. For those who want to order it, it’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Powells ; also the following person can help you:
Vanessa Verrill
Author Services Manager Inkwater Press™ A division of First Books® 6750 SW Franklin St., Suite A Portland, Oregon 97223-2542 Phone: 503.968.6777 Fax: 503.968.6779
vanessa@inkwaterpress.com www.inkwaterpress.com
It can also be found at the following link: http://inkwater.com/books/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1299
Joy Nzamwita Uwanziga
Tel: +31684923917
email: uwanziga.joy78@gmail.com
The Hague, the Netherlands
I have learned that it’s easy to focus on myself, and it takes a person with a heart to look around.
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Security and Female Empowerment
By Duke Michael of Mecklenburg
On Friday, 1May 2015, the Academic Committee of BASIS (BA Students of International Studies) and Diplomat Magazine co-hosted an evening event on the topics of “Security and Female Empowerment”. At the event, six guest speakers, including Yanina Berra Rocca (Second Secretary for Culture, Embassy of Argentina, The Netherlands), Anne Leigh Cooper (Film Producer), Selma Senese (OSMTH), Marquis Ennio H.A.R. Senese (Phi Energy Limited), Dr. Willem F. van Eekelen (Chairman of the European Investment Council and former Minister of Defence) were present to discuss these topics.
First, Duke Michael of Mecklenburg opened the event with an introduction to the event’s guest speakers and their approach on the relevant topics. He was followed by Selma Senese’s speech on female empowerment; giving insights into the general theme of woman empowerment, raising awareness on the current situation in the world by presenting data on female rights and the enforcement to the audience.
Thereafter Yanina Berra Rocca’s sampled the situation of female empowerment in peacekeeping missions. Women do not tend to declare war upon another country, as fast as males do; hence females may have more peaceful consultancy values and status to prevent and solve wars and conflicts.
Afterwards, Anne Leigh Cooper presented a film trailer to the participants. The topic was human trafficking and the life of the affected woman. It contained graphic images, but showed how reality can be and is. This led into a discussion on her movie about human trafficking, female empowerment and how important it is to have a more equal and just world.
Having seen many aspects of female empowerment, an allocution on security by Dr. Willem F. van Eekelen was held. He gave great insights into different situations, which he personally worked on as for example his work as Permanent Representative to the North-Atlantic Council and the later position as former Minister of Defence.
By the examples given, he explained the past and current relations amongst The Netherlands, the European Union and other states within or outside the EU. He concluded with the fact that the past, and especially the Cold War era will continue to affect the present and future international relations.
In the third section, Marquis Ennio H.A.R. Senese explained his work as CEO of Phi Energy Limited and at the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani (OSMTH). He gave a general overview of the norms of the two organisations and how female rights in these two organisations are considered and enforced. Furthermore, he gave an in-depth example of ongoing projects involving communication and creation of bridge building between nations, religions and ethnicities.
Towards the end of the event, the audience constituted mostly by students gave their opinion on and asked questions about the different topics. This led to a discussion on what is just and what is not. Overall, the event was a successful one, due to the guest speakers and an active audience.
First, Duke Michael of Mecklenburg opened the event with an introduction to the event’s guest speakers and their approach on the relevant topics. He was followed by Selma Senese’s speech on female empowerment; giving insights into the general theme of woman empowerment, raising awareness on the current situation in the world by presenting data on female rights and the enforcement to the audience.
Thereafter Yanina Berra Rocca’s sampled the situation of female empowerment in peacekeeping missions. Women do not tend to declare war upon another country, as fast as males do; hence females may have more peaceful consultancy values and status to prevent and solve wars and conflicts.
Afterwards, Anne Leigh Cooper presented a film trailer to the participants. The topic was human trafficking and the life of the affected woman. It contained graphic images, but showed how reality can be and is. This led into a discussion on her movie about human trafficking, female empowerment and how important it is to have a more equal and just world.
Having seen many aspects of female empowerment, an allocution on security by Dr. Willem F. van Eekelen was held. He gave great insights into different situations, which he personally worked on as for example his work as Permanent Representative to the North-Atlantic Council and the later position as former Minister of Defence.
By the examples given, he explained the past and current relations amongst The Netherlands, the European Union and other states within or outside the EU. He concluded with the fact that the past, and especially the Cold War era will continue to affect the present and future international relations.
In the third section, Marquis Ennio H.A.R. Senese explained his work as CEO of Phi Energy Limited and at the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani (OSMTH). He gave a general overview of the norms of the two organisations and how female rights in these two organisations are considered and enforced. Furthermore, he gave an in-depth example of ongoing projects involving communication and creation of bridge building between nations, religions and ethnicities.
Towards the end of the event, the audience constituted mostly by students gave their opinion on and asked questions about the different topics. This led to a discussion on what is just and what is not. Overall, the event was a successful one, due to the guest speakers and an active audience.
The world of BRAC
By Roy Lie A Tjam
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed is the founder and chairman of the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee (BRAC). The committee is the world’s largest international NGO. Sir Fazle Hasan Abed is by all means an exceptional personality. Nine Honorary Doctorates have been bestowed upon him as well as various distinctions of merit for his quest in eradicating all form of poverty in Bangladesh and beyond.
In a lecture hosted by the Institute of Social Study in The Hague on 18th May 2015, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed recounted how he set up BRAC in order to deal with the multiple dimensions of poverty. Sir Fazle highlighted the numerous successes and challenges BRAC has faced in developing programmes in health, education and financial services with the underlying objective of assisting the poor to lift themselves out of poverty.
The marginalized group of the extremely poor often has no kinship. BRAC gives this group a face and helps by allocating grants and stipends. This became a 3 year project which proved effective. It drew the attention of the World Bank and was subsequently implemented in Africa.
The Bangladesh per capita income went from US. $90 to US. $1,340. BRAC has trained midwives nationwide. The maternal mortality rate has consequently dropped significantly. Furthermore the BRAC institute of education offers one year programs. In addition BRAC is the owner of the 2nd largest bank in Bangladesh. Sir Abed has without any equivocation contributed to the progress of Bangladesh. He will be meeting Queen Maxima before his departure.
…If there is war, there must be (environmental) law
Photography by Matt Luna.
By Carlotta Duken.
Professor Steve Freeland presented his new book “Addressing the Intentional Destruction of the Environment during Warfare under the Rome Statue of the ICC“ in the imposing setting of the Japanese room in the Peace Palace. In the light of the devastation of the environment caused by wars, Freeland’s book draws attention to the need to address and include crimes against the environment under the international criminal law.
The varied afternoon was supported by the moderation of Wouter Veening, co-founder and Chairman of the Institute for Environmental Security, and by the warmhearted congratulations and remarks from colleagues and guest speakers like Michael Bothe from the IUCN. The event ended with a get-together of the author, the guests and the audience for drinks, snacks and interesting conversations.
The varied afternoon was supported by the moderation of Wouter Veening, co-founder and Chairman of the Institute for Environmental Security, and by the warmhearted congratulations and remarks from colleagues and guest speakers like Michael Bothe from the IUCN. The event ended with a get-together of the author, the guests and the audience for drinks, snacks and interesting conversations.
The Wonders of Upper Nubia
English lecture on historical landmarks in Sudan
The public will be welcomed by His Excellency Mohamed Elhassan Ibrahim Hassan, the Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan. This is followed by the lecture of 90 minutes. At the end there is opportunity to pose questions and to purchase the book with a signing.
