On 21 November 2025, the International Criminal Court(ICC) held, at the seat of the Court in The Hague, The Netherlands, a closed-door Expert Roundtable on Tracking, Arrest and Surrender of suspects. The event brought together operational counterparts from several national authorities, international organisations and civil society, to exchange on experiences and best practices developed in national systems, international tribunals and by the Court regarding the tracking and arrest of suspects at large.
The event was opened by ICC First Vice-President Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala, Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan, Registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler, and the Cooperation co-facilitators of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute, Ambassador of France to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, François Alabrune and Ambassador of Senegal to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ramatoulaye Bâ Faye.
In opening the roundtable, Vice-President Aitala stated that the Court has placed the arrest and surrender of suspects among its main priorities and has fostered increased dialogue with State Parties. The roundtable, he underlined, aims at increasing mutual understanding between the Court and national authorities and evolving practises, modalities and procedures of cooperation. He concluded by praising the professionalism and dedication of the staff of the Court dealing with these vital functions and thanked the Ambassadors of France and Senegal for their achievements as co-facilitators in the ASP.
The expert roundtable, organised jointly by the Registry and the Office of the Prosecutor, formed part of the Court's ongoing efforts with State Parties to devise practical solutions to improve cooperation between States and the Court with a view to enhancing prospects for the implementation of pending arrest warrants.
The tracking of suspects and the implementation of arrest warrants remains a key priority for the Court. The Court does not have a police force and therefore relies on the cooperation of States. States Parties have the obligation to arrest and surrender ICC suspects. To date, there are 31 publicly known ICC arrest warrants, in addition to others under seal, which remain unexecuted.
The Court is grateful to the French Government for its financial support of the event.
