Further to the recent appointment of 17 Special Advisers by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or the "Court"), Mr Karim A.A. Khan QC, three additional experts have been appointed to serve as the Prosecutor's Special Advisers pursuant to article 42.9 of the Rome Statute.
These new appointments, in line with past indications by the Prosecutor, are aimed at creating a network of experts representing different regions of the world with cultural, linguistic, and gender diversity, with specific portfolios and expertise to reinforce the Office's capabilities to effectively and efficiently discharge its mandate under the Statute, and to strengthen specialisation on a wide range of issues and priority areas identified by the Prosecutor.
The newly appointed Special Advisers are:
Ms Purna Sen, Special Adviser on Working Climate (Bio);
Mr Claudio Grossman, Special Adviser Without Portfolio (Bio);
Mr Vladimir Tochilovsky, Special Adviser Without Portfolio (Bio).
"I am delighted that such eminent experts have accepted to serve as my Special Advisers. The richness of the expertise and diversity that have been amassed in the group of experts who have accepted to give so generously with their time to serve as Special Advisers will undoubtedly make an important contribution to the work and mandate of my Office. I welcome all of them to my team, and look forward to working closely with them", stated the Prosecutor.
Special Advisers to the Prosecutor are persons with outstanding professional credentials and expertise in their fields. They provide advice to the Prosecutor within their respective mandates as Special Advisers and may assist in training initiatives of the Office. They work on a pro bono basis and are required to sign a confidentiality agreement and are bound by the 'Standards of Conduct' stipulated in, inter alia, Annex I to Administrative Instruction ICC/AI/2016/002.
The appointment of experts from the Asia-Pacific region as Special Advisers is underway and expected. An announcement in this regard will be made in due course.
