International Justice Day offers an opportunity to revisit the contemporary architecture of international justice and reflect on its evolution in the face of today’s defining challenges. At a time when international institutions are under unprecedented pressure, armed conflicts and mass atrocities are occurring simultaneously across multiple regions, and victims and survivors continue to demand accountability, the pursuit of justice has never been more contested—or more necessary.
Exactly 28 years ago, the adoption of the Rome Statute established the permanent International Criminal Court (ICC), founded on the promise that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished. Yet today, that promise is being tested. The Court faces political pressure, threats, and sanctions targeting its officials, while its legitimacy and effectiveness are increasingly challenged. Has the ICC lived up to the expectations placed upon it? What role can it play in an increasingly fragmented international order, where the commitment to accountability is too often selective?
The recently established Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine represents the latest addition to the international accountability architecture. Created to address the jurisdictional gap left by the Rome Statute with respect to the crime of aggression, it raises important legal and practical questions. What expectations does the Tribunal hold for Ukraine and its people? Could it mark a turning point in ensuring accountability for what was described at Nuremberg as the “supreme international crime,” reaffirming that wars of aggression must not be waged with impunity?
Nor has the International Court of Justice—the World Court—been absent from the global search for justice. Through its landmark advisory opinions on climate change and the legal consequences of Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as its growing docket of contentious cases, including proceedings between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, the Court has become an increasingly prominent forum for addressing some of the defining legal disputes of our time. To what extent is the ICJ meeting these expectations? What practical impact do its judgments and advisory opinions have on states, and, ultimately, the individuals and communities most affected by armed conflict, occupation, and the climate crisis?
Only a few months after the adoption of the Rome Statute, the world witnessed the so-called Pinochet moment—a defining milestone in the modern revival of universal jurisdiction. Today, while states bear the responsibility for investigating and prosecuting atrocity crimes, national courts exercising extraterritorial jurisdiction continue to play an indispensable complementary role, helping to ensure that perpetrators cannot find safe haven abroad. As domestic investigations into international crimes continue to expand across jurisdictions, are we witnessing a new era of universal jurisdiction, or is the twenty-first century still waiting for its next Pinochet moment?
These questions—and many others—will shape this International Justice Day webinar, which will explore the evolving roles of international and domestic accountability mechanisms, assess their achievements and limitations, and consider how they can respond to the demands for justice in an increasingly complex and turbulent world.
Speakers:
Piotr Hofmański (keynote speech) – Former President of the International Criminal Court
Mark Ellis – Executive Director of the International Bar Association
Oleksandra Matviichuk – Human Rights Lawyer, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
Alyn Ware – Program Director, World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy, Co-founder, Legal Alternatives to War (LAW not War)
Anya Neistat – President at InterJust
Moderated by:
Rastislav Šutek – Executive Director at Platform for Peace and Humanity
Online