Promoting Complementarity

Complementarity encapsulates the International Criminal Court’s fundamental operating principle: national justice systems have the primary responsibility for prosecuting serious international crimes, and the ICC should be a backstop. A number of countries need assistance, however, in developing the domestic capacity to prosecute serious crimes.

The Open Society Justice Initiative is committed to working with states to promote complementarity in practice, and our recommendations to the Assembly of States Parties meeting this month are available in PDF format.

The Assembly of States Parties comprises both major rule of law donors and states whose justice systems are in need of assistance. The December 2010 assembly meeting—the ninth overall but the first since the June 2010 Kampala Review Conference where complementarity was first raised—is a perfect opportunity for states parties to further commit to practical steps that will transform the idea of complementarity into reality.