The conference took place in Kampala, Uganda, from May 30 until June 12, 2010. Pace participated in the conference as the Convenor of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court. Trahan attended the conference as an observer of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, a member of the ABA ICC Task Force and Chair of the American Branch of the International Law Association's ICC Committee (her remarks during the interview were made in her personal capacity). The discussion focussed mainly on the relevance and outcome of the conference and the role of the United States during the negotiations.
The Rome Statute established the ICC eight years ago and includes the Court's functions, jurisdiction and structure. Member states of the ICC, observer states, international organizations and other participants gathered in Kampala to consider amendments to the Rome Statute and to take stock of the work and impact of the Rome Statute system since its establishment. The most controversial issue was the adoption of a provision defining the crime of aggression and setting out the conditions under which the Court may exercise jurisdiction with respect to this crime. The United States attended the Review Conference as an observer state. The US has been a strong opponent of the proposal to extent the Court's jurisdiction with the crime of aggression without Security Council involvement and argued strongly against it during the conference. See also GPF's blog for more analysis on this story.
Click here for more pictures of the interview.
