Over the last decade international criminal justice has affirmed its crucial role as a means for maintaining peace and security, in the framework of the principles and objectives of the UN Charter.
International efforts to strengthen the rule of law in a number of variegated crisis situations all around the world, have lead to different forms of participation of the international community into the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes.
Following this UN driven powerful mobilization of resources, the establishment and the activity of the international Tribunals have produced remarkable advances in the development of international criminal law and contributed to lay down the foundation of the international criminal legal system now embodied in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
However, in the next few years existing temporary international jurisdictions should complete their mandate, while the ICC is expected to be working at its full capacity.
The number and complexity of issues involved in the termination of the activities of the ICTY, ICTR and SCSL represents a good opportunity for a wider reflection on the role and on the organization of international criminal justice, and for the way ahead.
In particular, a growing expectation on the preparation of the forthcoming Review Conference of the ICC Statute makes it important to have a timely stock-taking exercise.
On these premises the Conference on International Criminal Justice, will focus on the establishment of the system of International Criminal Justice, and deal with the Legacy of the UN ad hoc International Tribunals, through a review of its best practices and case-law, as well as with the ICC Review Conference issues, including with the definition of the crime of aggression.
In this context, contributions from international Judges, Prosecutors and Registrars, as well as by other main actors in the field, will for the first time offer a unique and comprehensive perspective of the development of international criminal law and practice since the adoption of the Rome Statute in 1998, with the objective of contributing to a better understanding of the Legacy of the UN Tribunals and to the preparation of the Review Conference of the ICC Statute.