On 17 July 2020 the international community will commemorate the World Day for International Justice. In honor of this commemoration and the 15th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect, the Global Centre brought together world-renowned international experts and practitioners to reflect upon the role of the international justice system in atrocity prevention.

In addition to progress at the International Criminal Court and various international tribunals, over the past decade the international community has developed a number of innovative mechanisms to ensure accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. This includes the establishment of hybrid courts, the authorization of a variety of international investigative mechanisms, the application of universal jurisdiction, as well as the historic case filed by The Gambia at the International Court of Justice against Myanmar for failing to uphold its obligations under the Genocide Convention. The four panelists drew upon their unique expertise to discuss how international justice mechanisms have been useful in preventing and punishing atrocity crimes. In a time when multilateralism, human rights and international law appear to be under threat in so many parts of the world, what can we learn from the proliferation of accountability mechanisms and the ongoing struggle to advance international justice?

Panelists:

• • Ambassador Stephen Rapp, Senior Fellow, US Holocaust Memorial Museum and Oxford University’s Blavatnik School, former US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice
  • Mr. Charles Jalloh, Professor of Law, Florida International University
  • Ms. Priya Pillai, Lawyer and International Law Specialist, Secretariat, Asia Justice Coalition
  • Mr. Jörn Oliver Eiermann, Legal Officer, Special Assistant to the Head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria