Conference: The Multiple Roles of the International Prosecutor

On December 7, 2012, the T.M.C. Asser Instituut will host a conference on "The Multiple Roles of the International Prosecutor." The preliminary program is here. Here's the idea:

“Prosecutor, Watchdog, Diplomat, Manager: The Multiple Roles of the International Prosecutor”

On 7 December 2012, the T.M.C. Asser Instituut, in cooperation with the International Humanitarian and Criminal Law Platform, will organise a conference on the international prosecutor.

The conference, which is financially supported by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, will be the first to bring together top researchers, practitioners and civil society to critically discuss and assess the multiple roles of the international prosecutor – a multifaceted actor who plays an increasingly important role on the international (legal and political) plane, for instance as a potential global preventer of crimes. The conference offers a timely opportunity to reflect and formulate lessons for current and future international prosecutors.

Indeed, although the function of the international prosecutor is becoming more relevant and influential on the international plane, it is still characterized by considerable indistinctness: is he/she a prosecutor, a watchdog, a diplomat, a manager? And to what extent is he/she subject to (judicial) oversight? By critically assessing and engaging with the different aspects of the function, the conference seeks to formulate lessons learnt and recommendations for future holders of such a post – not only in the international, but also in the European context, where the advent of the European Public Prosecutor only seems to be a matter of time.