Conference
will examine
role of
international law
in promoting
peace, justice

Conference website

Martti Ahtisaari

The conference, From a Culture of Impunity to a Culture of Accountability, is organised by United Nations University and the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM), Utrecht University. Keynote speaker will be President Martti Ahtisaari of Finland.

During three days of plenary sessions, the conference will explore the changing political and human rights context that gave rise to the establishment of the tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and the adoption of the Rome Statute. From an interdisciplinary perspective the conference will examine the political, legal and institutional experiences of the tribunals and the Rome Statute in a comparative and forward-looking way. Particular emphasis will be given to the actual and potential role of international humanitarian law in building peace, conflict settlement and reconciliation, and in promoting international norms of justice and accountability. 

Important questions will include:

• How did the establishment of the tribunals and their jurisprudence influence the development of international human rights law? What is the significance of the Rome Statute in this context?
• What are the arguments (ethical, legal and political) for norms of accountability and justice at the international level? Should justice be local? Should efforts be directed towards strengthening local - rather than global - capacity?
• What is the position of the tribunals and the ICC in relation to national courts? What are their legal possibilities to limit the sovereignty of national states, especially with regard to the extradition of criminal suspects?
• Can the tribunals and the ICC really bring justice to all victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity? What facilities do they provide in the field of (financial) reparation and compensation?
• What is the record of the tribunals in promoting post-conflict peace building: promoting peace, security and reconciliation?
• Do the tribunals and the ICC not only guarantee the human rights of the victim but also those of the defendant, however heinous their crimes may be?
• What do the tribunals contribute to the debate on 'transitional justice': balancing justice and stability; dealing with the past without perpetuating enmities; dealing with the past without jeopardizing stability or democratization? Is there really a tension between justice and peace/stability - has this perception undermined the effectiveness of the tribunals?