Overview and programme direction
About the project
The International Criminal Court in Africa Project was designed to bring African perspectives into the ongoing reform discussion around the International Criminal Court. The project focused on generating independent legal research, convening African jurists and experts, and disseminating scholarship that contributes to a more informed and balanced discussion on the ICC and its relationship with Africa.
The project was built around a three-pronged approach: research consultancy, expert workshop engagement, and publication and dissemination. Three independent experts prepared papers examining key issues relevant to the ICC reform process. These papers were then reviewed and discussed during a workshop in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where African jurists engaged directly with the authors and provided substantive feedback. The final papers were published and disseminated as CILPA occasional papers and through wider academic and institutional platforms.
The project contributed to CILPA’s mission of strengthening African engagement with international criminal justice, supporting high-quality legal scholarship, and ensuring that African voices are represented in major global legal reform debates.
Objectives
- To bring African perspectives into the ICC reform discussion.
- To support independent research on issues relating to the International Criminal Court and Africa.
- To convene African jurists and experts to review and engage with commissioned research papers.
- To publish and disseminate legal scholarship that contributes to international criminal justice reform debates.
- To strengthen CILPA’s role as a platform for African-led research and policy dialogue on international criminal justice.
Activities
- Research consultancy involving three independent experts who prepared papers on the African perspective to the ICC reform discussion.
- Workshop in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where independent experts reviewed the consultants’ papers.
- Engagement of African jurists in Freetown to discuss the papers and provide feedback to the authors.
- Publication and dissemination of the papers as CILPA occasional papers.
- Translation of the papers into French.
- Launch events at the Assembly of States Parties in New York and in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Outputs
- Three independent research papers prepared by expert consultants.
- Expert review workshop convened in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
- African jurists engaged in the review and discussion of the papers.
- Occasional papers published on CILPA’s website.
- Papers disseminated through the African Journal of International Criminal Justice.
- French translations of the papers produced.
- Launch events held in New York and Freetown.
Impact
The project strengthened African participation in global conversations on International Criminal Court reform by supporting independent research, expert dialogue and the publication of African perspectives. It helped create a platform for African jurists and scholars to contribute meaningfully to international criminal justice debates and reinforced CILPA’s role as a centre for African-led legal research and policy engagement.