On 19 and 20 May 2025, the First Vice-President of the International Criminal Court ("ICC"), Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala, and the Registrar of the Court, Osvaldo Zavala Giler, visited Santiago, Chile.
The First Vice-President and the Registrar met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr Alberto van Klaveren who they thanked for Chile's continuous commitment to international justice and for promoting support to the Court. Minister Van Klaveren reconfirmed the steadfast support of Chile to the International Criminal Court. In response to a letter from the President of the Court, Judge Tomoko Akane, which was handed over by the Vice-President, Minister Van Klaveren expressed the Ministry's commitment to start consultations with the Court with respect to agreements of cooperation in different fields.
The delegation also met with the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, H.E. Mr Jaime Gajardo Falcón with who they discussed the importance of cooperation between the Court and States. Minister Gajardo Falcón expressed his interest to explore venues to strengthen cooperation with the Court, and to organise trainings explaining the functioning of the Rome Statute system to legal professionals.
In addition, the First Vice President and the Registrar met with judicial authorities, including the President of the Supreme Court, Mr Ricardo Blanco Herrera, and the entire plenary of judges of the Supreme Court, as well as with the Attorney General, Mr Ángel Valencia Vásquez. During those meetings, they discussed how to best address the fight against impunity for the gravest crimes both at the international and national level and exchanged best practices, and how to strengthen cooperation between the International Criminal Court and national authorities. In that context, the representatives of the Court also visited the Museum of Memory and Human Rights which commemorates the victims of human rights violations committed in Chile between 1973 and 1990.
During their visit, and as part of a broader initiative of engagement of the Court with States Parties to foster cooperation in areas of mutual interest, the Registrar signed Memoranda of Understanding with the University of Chile, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the University of Talca. These Memoranda establish a framework for cooperation between the ICC and the relevant universities to raise awareness about the ICC's mandate and activities, cultivate expertise, and facilitate knowledge exchange by participating in the ICC's internship and visiting professional programs.
Whilst in Santiago, the representatives of the Court also had the opportunity to give a lecture before the students of the Diplomatic Academy Andrés Bello and of the Catholic University of Chile to discuss on the work of the ICC, in order to raise awareness on the work of the Court to future diplomats and lawyers.
