Ms Arbia sworn-in as ICC Registrar

Ms Silvana Arbia (Italy) was today sworn-in as the Registrar of the International Criminal Court at the seat of the Court in The Hague.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 18, 2008 ) In a ceremony held in Courtroom I, conducted by Judge Philippe Kirsch, the ICC President, and Ms Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize, the Vice-President of the Assembly of States Parties, Ms Arbia gave a solemn undertaking to exercise her responsibilities as Registrar of the Court.

President Kirsch welcomed Ms Arbia and the contribution she will bring to the Court in the challenging period ahead: “We are very fortunate to be joined by a new Registrar who brings such invaluable experience and insight from both national and international systems of justice.”

Following the signing, Ms Arbia expressed her gratitude to the judges for placing their confidence in her, as well as her deep appreciation to all those working at the ICC. Underlining her dedication to international criminal justice, she said that her focus would be on judicial proceedings and, in particular, the first trial scheduled to commence this year. She also commented on, “International criminal justice as a factor of new world civilisation,” adding her conviction that it will “assist the international community to make effective progress in reducing conflicts and discrimination”.

Ms Arbia was elected by the judges of the Court in February this year for a five-year term. She succeeds Mr Bruno Cathala, the ICC’s first Registrar, who completed his term in office on 9 April.

Ms Arbia has extensive experience in international law, criminal law, and the judicial management aspects of international criminal law. She has also worked as the Chief of Prosecutions at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), where she was previously a Senior Trial Attorney and Acting Chief of Prosecutions in the Office of the Prosecutor. Furthermore, Ms Arbia participated in the drafting of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as a member of Italian delegation at the 1998 Diplomatic Conference in Rome.

Ms Arbia holds a Laurea in Law from Padova University, Italy, and was a professional judge in Italy. She has published several essays and books on human rights and children’s rights.

The Registrar, as head of the Registry is the principal administrative officer of the Court and exercises her functions under the authority of the President.

The core function of the Registry is to provide administrative and operational support to all organs of the Court. It develops effective mechanisms to assist victims, witnesses and the Defence in order to safeguard their rights under the Rome Statute and the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. Furthermore, the Registry plays a key role in ensuring proceedings are public, and is also responsible for the establishment and development of Court’s field operations.

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