The Election of the Next International Criminal Court Prosecutor

The election of the next Prosecutor at the International Criminal marks a critical moment for the Office of the Prosecutor and the International Criminal Court as a whole.

It is therefore essential to ensure that each step of this process, from identification and assessment of candidates to the election itself, is maximally transparent, accessible to a broad cross-section of stakeholders, and grounded in the objective criteria of merit, experience, and integrity. It is also crucial to learn from, and strengthen, the process that contributed (in 2010–11) to the election of the current Prosecutor.

This briefing paper proposes a range of measures to increase transparency and effectiveness of the process, including the creation of a Committee of Experts to solicit applications, and to review canidates. It calls for the committee to prepare a short-list of the most qualified candidates and interview all short-listed candidates, including through holding “town hall” style meetings, where the candidates could also respond to questions from the public.