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Outreach Report 2010 Public Information and Documentation Section | Outreach Unit Foreword

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Outreach Report 2010 Public Information and Documentation Section | Outreach Unit Foreword Outreach Report 2010 Public Information and Documentation Section | Outreach Unit Foreword This is the fourth Outreach Report published by my office since the Outreach Unit of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was established in 2007. It presents the work carried out from 1 October 2009 to 1 October 2010 by ICC Outreach Unit staff members at the seat of the Court in The Hague, and in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), and Kenya. It also includes the work of the Outreach Unit in Chad and other countries where large groups of Sudanese populations are currently residing. The report outlines many of the activities conducted during this period and the results achieved, as well as the contextual judicial and other factors influencing our work, challenges faced along the way, and the plans for going forward. The report is also a demonstration of the hard work and dedication of my staff, both at headquarters and in the field. They have contributed to further advance our plans ICC Registrar Silvana Arbia ©ICC-CPI/Max Koot to make justice meaningful among communities affected by the crimes in situations and cases brought before the Court. Over the past reporting period, the Registry has responded to a series of emerging challenges while maintaining its efforts to counter misconceptions, make proceedings accessible, and create realistic expectations of the Court’s work among affected communities. Our rapid response capacity was once again tested this year in explaining and clarifying certain judicial decisions. My office was able to deploy an interdisciplinary team in Kenya before Pre-Trial Chamber I decided to grant the Prosecutor approval to investigate alleged crimes committed in the territory of that country in relation with the post-election violence of 2007 and 2008. In a joint mission, Outreach Unit officers and staff members of the Victims Participation and Reparation Section (VPRS) succeeded to enable affected communities to present their views on possible ICC operations in their country by interacting with key actors. In the DRC, timely explanations were provided to communities on the Trial Chamber’s decision to stay the proceedings in the case The Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo and the Prosecutor’s subsequent appeal against that decision. In Kampala, Uganda, in the context of the Review Conference of the Rome Statute in June 2010, we lent our support to efforts made by the Assembly of States Parties and civil society organisations as part of the stocktaking exercise with regard to victim’s issues. Outreach Unit staff members in Uganda facilitated sessions which enabled States’ delegates and NGO representatives to interact with large groups of affected communities in the northern part of the country. In addition, I participated in panel discussions in Kampala that served to underline the significant role that outreach plays in allowing victims to see justice being done, in particular bearing in mind that the Court’s seat is far away from places where crimes subject to ICC prosecutions were committed. In addition, with the support of the Registry’s Public Information and Documentation Section (PIDS), press releases and videos of key events helped to publicise the Review Conference and its adjunct events. In this period, considerable efforts were also made to strengthen the Legal Outreach Programme in the context of the Female Counsel Campaign, launched in association with the International Bar Association (IBA), and aimed at increasing the number of female counsel representing defendants and victims before the Court. Starting with the target audience of African female lawyers in countries where the Outreach Unit operates, legal practitioners were provided with detailed information on the Court’s mandate and proceedings, and on how to apply to be on the ICC List of Counsel and the ICC List of Assistants to Counsel. This report is prepared in part to assess progress made, and in part to adjust our strategies and plans for future activities based on data collected from our internal monitoring system and studies published by others. Planning for 2011 has greatly benefited from independent research carried out by the University of California at Berkeley and 24 Hours for Darfur, involving affected populations in four of the five situations where outreach is operational. To cover Kenya, the Outreach Unit has contracted researchers to prepare baseline data that will enable us to conduct future impact assessments with a scientific approach. In the upcoming period, activities have been defined to enhance the impact and improve the quality of outreach activities through the four existing core outreach programmes: Community, Academic, Legal and Media Outreach Programmes. Based on the reports from the last four years, significant progress can be seen. Collecting and analysing data from these years has improved plans for future programmes, within the bounds of our existing resources. The scope of our work has been better defined to engage affected communities where they live. We are also ensuring that the content of outreach sessions are directly relevant to our target audiences. By using videos and radio programmes, we have enhanced the impact of our work, particularly among groups with a low literacy rate; this technology also allows us to increase the frequency of interactions between affected communities and the heads of the organs of the Court. Much of our progress is also due to improved coordination and cooperation with other partners. Allow me to conclude by thanking all those who have contributed to our work over the past years and continue to support us in our current efforts. My special gratitude goes to local partners in each situation, national and international civil society organisations, bar associations, universities and media houses. My appreciation also goes to States that since 2006 have allocated the budget for outreach programmes, highlighting the relevance of this non- judicial core function; to donors that provide direct funding to civil society organisations; and to academic human rights centres that are also working to serve affected communities. We count on their continued support to fulfil our mandate to assist affected communities in exercising their rights to have access to justice rendered by the International Criminal Court. Outreach Report 2010 Public Information and Documentation Section | Outreach Unit Table of Contents Introduction 1 Situation-related Reports 3 Uganda 5 Executive Summary 7 Context and Judicial Status 9 Activities 9 Community Outreach Programme 9 Academic Outreach Programme 13 Legal Outreach Programme 14 Media Outreach Programme 15 Lessons Learned 17 Action Plan for 2011 21 The Democratic Republic of the Congo 23 Executive Summary 25 Context and Judicial Status 27 Activities 27 Community Outreach Programme 28 Academic Outreach Programme 29 Legal Outreach Programme 30 Media Outreach Programme 30 Lessons Learned 32 Action Plan for 2011 34 Darfur, Sudan 37 Executive Summary 39 Context and Judicial Status 41 Activities 42 Community Outreach Programme in Eastern Chad 42 Community Outreach Programme in Europe 43 Legal Outreach Programme 44 Media Outreach Programme 44 Lessons Learned 45 Action Plan for 2011 48 The Central African Republic 51 Executive Summary 53 Context and Judicial Status 55 Activities 55 Community Outreach Programme 56 Academic Outreach Programme 58 Legal Outreach Programme 58 Media Outreach Programme 59 Lessons Learned 61 Action Plan for 2011 65 The Republic of Kenya 67 Context and Judicial Status 71 Activities 71 Community Outreach Programme 71 Media Outreach Programme 72 Lessons Learned 74 Action Plan for 2011 77 Conclusion: Looking forward 79 Annexes 83 Annex 1: Outreach Unit Organisational Chart 85 Annex 2: Calendar of Activities Planned for 2011 86 Uganda 86 The Democratic Republic of the Congo 90 Darfur, Sudan 96 The Central African Republic 101 The Republic of Kenya 104 Introduction The Outreach Unit of the International Criminal outreach teams targeting directly 46,499 people, of Court (ICC) conducts activities to reach communities which 11,605 were women. Estimated audiences affected by alleged crimes in situations and cases of nearly 70 million people were regularly exposed brought before the Court. to Court information through local radio and television programmes. The majority (70 percent) The Outreach Unit’s programmes aim to cultivate a of respondents to surveys conducted among level of awareness and understanding of the ICC’s participants during these sessions, had realistic mandate and mode of operations, promote access expectations about the scope of the work of the to and understanding of judicial proceedings, and Court. More specific results per situation-related foster realistic expectations about the Court’s work. country are detailed below. This in turn will engender greater local community participation in Court proceedings by addressing In Uganda, with a team of four staff members, the concerns of those in affected communities and 22,894 people participated in 165 interactive by countering misperceptions. sessions. Through outreach activities with a specific gender focus, the number of women This report covers the period from 1 October 2009 reached increased from 837 in the previous year to to 1 October 2010. It outlines activities conducted, 2,397 women this year. Also, a potential audience lessons learned, and questions that participants of 8 million people received information through
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