The Steering Committee of the International Criminal Justice Consortium has appointed Jill Coster van Voorhout, Researcher under the Rule of Law Program, as Special Advisor to its independent expert team that assesses the Legal Aid System of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Because of her role and input in this team in the recent past, Coster van Voorhout was requested to continue to support their work, together with colleagues from The Hague Institute.

The mandate of this independent expert assessment of the ICC’s Legal Aid System is based on a resolution of the ICC Assembly of States Parties. This mandate covers conducting an assessment of the ICC’s sui generis Legal Aid system and producing an assessment report for the Registrar’s consideration. Another crucial task in this mandate is the production of a recommendations’ report for the Registrar’s consideration.

The Hague Institute is a member of the ICJC, which has assembled this independent team that consists of an honorary judge and two legal aid experts. All have extensive expertise and practical experience in both common law and civil law jurisdictions and in international criminal courts.

The collective membership of the ICJC draws upon outstanding judicial, prosecutorial, legal, and administrative practitioners from varied legal traditions and regions throughout the world. The work of the ICJC is pro bono, driven by the requests and needs of national and international criminal justice institutions including the ICC. Based on those, it provides capacity building assistance through practical legal skills workshops, the sharing of best practices and expertise, and other collaborations.