Summary
The present report, covering the period from 1 August 2005 to 1 August 2006, is the second annual report of the International Criminal Court (hereafter “the Court”) submitted to the United Nations. It covers the main developments in the Court’s activities and other developments of relevance to the relationship between the Court and the United Nations. The Court unsealed its first arrest warrants in October 2005. The first person arrested pursuant to a warrant issued by the Court was surrendered to the Court’s custody in March 2006. Pre-trial and appeals proceedings were held, in anticipation of trials beginning in late 2006 or early 2007. The Court continued its investigations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Darfur, the Sudan. Through outreach and public information activities, the Court engaged in dialogue with local populations and the public about its role, proceedings and investigations. In all phases of its activities, the Court relied on cooperation from States, the United Nations, other international organizations and civil society. The Court does not have its own police force to carry out its decisions or orders. It needs the assistance of others in, inter alia, gathering evidence, providing logistical support to operations in the field, relocating witnesses, arresting and surrendering persons and enforcing the sentences of the convicted. The Court and the United Nations continued to build on the Relationship Agreement,1 developing substantially the mutual cooperation between the two independent institutions. The Court also engaged with States, other international organizations, including regional organizations, and civil society to facilitate necessary cooperation. Nonetheless, substantial challenges to obtaining sufficient support remain. Over one year has passed since the Court issued its first warrants of arrest and the five subjects of the warrants remain at large. If trials are to be held, States and international organizations must assist the Court by arresting and surrendering those persons and others for whom warrants are issued in the future. The Court today is becoming the centrepiece of an emerging system of international criminal justice, involving national, international and hybrid tribunals, as well as such international organizations as the United Nations. The interrelationships between those different institutions has continued to develop, as evidenced by the Court’s assistance to the Special Court for Sierra Leone and other efforts directed towards international justice.
