http://www.iccnow.org

The Coalition for the International Criminal Court includes 2,500 organizations around the world working in partnership to strengthen international cooperation with the ICC; ensure that the Court is fair, effective and independent; make justice both visible and universal; and advance stronger national laws that deliver justice to victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

History

The Coalition was founded in 1995 by a small group of NGOs that coordinated their work to ensure the establishment of an International Criminal Court. Since then, the Coalition's membership has increased exponentially as its original goal of establishing the ICC grew to include the larger goal of guaranteeing the Court's fair, effective and independent functioning. Over the years, the Coalition Secretariat and its global membership have worked together at every stage of the Court's development from the preparatory committees for the establishment of the Court, to the Rome Conference that established the Court to the annual Assembly of States Parties meetings.

The CICC secretariat has two locations, in New York and The Hague - with regional coordinators based around the world - and is led by William R. Pace, Executive Director of the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy, who serves as the Convenor of the CICC. The work of the Coalition is guided by an informal Steering Committee, which helps to define the CICC’s goals, policies and strategies.

The role of the Coalition was recognized by the Assembly of States Parties when it adopted a resolution entitled ‘Recognition of the coordinating and facilitating role of the NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court’ (ICC-ASP/2/Res.8) during its second session in September 2003.

When introducing the resolution, Ambassador Allieu I. Kanu of Sierra Leone, Vice-President of the Assembly of States Parties, remarked: "In this journey, there are people who are generally seated on the sides or in the back of our assemblies, those who took the floor only occasionally, those who do not get the credit but nevertheless tirelessly sustain, defend and yes, set the spirit of the institution which we incarnate today. An organization that represented such people is the NGO Coalition for the ICC”.

CICC's goals

Through the concerted efforts of member groups and in cooperation with governments and international organizations, we work toward:

• protecting the letter and spirit of the Rome Statute;

• raising awareness of the ICC at the national, regional and global level;

• monitoring and supporting the work of the Court;

• promoting ratification and implementation of the Court’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute;

• monitoring and supporting the work of the Assembly of States Parties;

• facilitating involvement and capacity building of NGOs in the ICC process; and

• expanding and strengthening the Coalition’s worldwide network.