|
Draft Letter to Prime Ministers/Presidents,
Foreign/Justice/Women's Ministries, Parliamentarians and Missions
-
September 2002 -
(NOTE: Please insert the name
of the country where appropriate.)
Re: Nomination of Qualified Women as Judges, Prosecutor and
Deputy Prosecutor to the International Criminal Court
Excellency,
We understand that at the first meeting of the Assembly of States
Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from 3-9 September
2002, the rules for nomination and election of judges were adopted and
the nomination period was officially opened. We are now writing to
express our serious concern that the mandates of the Rome Statute
regarding a fair representation of women and men in the composition of
the Court be fulfilled.
The record of women in different legal institutions at the international
level has been dismal. Currently, there is only one woman judge serving
at both the International Court of Justice and the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Three women are serving on
the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and no women are serving
on the 21-member International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. Further,
the recently released list of candidates for election to the ICJ does
not contain even one woman candidate.
Given the difficulties in the negotiations of rules for the election
of judges and the fact that only one of the nine countries which have so
far announced their candidates has put forward a woman, we are concerned
that there is less real commitment among the States Parties to carry
forward the gender mainstreaming mandates of the Rome Statute. The ICC
will be the first international institution of the 21st century, indeed
of the new millennium, established by multi-lateral treaty and is the
first of its kind. It is time, finally, that women are accorded a
presence in such institutions on an equitable footing.
[Name of country], as a State Party to the Rome Statute, has a
historic opportunity to ensure that the ICC sets a new standard with
respect to a presence of women on the Court. Doing so will only increase
its esteem and prestige in the world. In light of this, we request the
following information:
1. Is [name of country] intending to nominate a candidate for
the position of judge, prosecutor or deputy prosecutor?
2. If so, what steps is [name of country] taking to ensure that a
'fair representation of female and male" judges in article 36(8)(a)
of the Rome Statute is achieved?
3. What specific steps is [name of country] taking to seek out,
identify and nominate qualified women candidates for the position of
judge, prosecutor or deputy prosecutor?
4. What is the process by which [name of country] evaluates
whether a candidate meets the criteria required for the position? Are
endorsement of human rights and awareness of gender issues among them?
5. To what extent has your government consulted with NGO's and
representatives of civil society in the selection and nomination of your
potential candidate?
With only twelve weeks to go before the nomination period closes on
30 November, we believe that governments of States Parties must take
active steps to ensure that qualified women candidates are nominated. We
look forward to an immediate response to the above concerns.
Signed,
[your name]
|
