I am pleased to introduce a new IntLawGrrls symposium on the International Criminal Court (ICC) Assembly of States Parties. The 16th session of the Assembly runs from December 4 to 14 in New York.

Photo Credit: CPIJ

It will be a very interesting and active Assembly this year. The Assembly will discuss activation of the Court’s exercise of jurisdiction over the crime of aggression, including negotiation on jurisdictional questions. Six new judges will be elected. The Assembly will make its recommendation on the election of the Registrar, as the term of the current Registrar expires in April 2018. Discussions will occur around the fact that 2018 marks the ICC’s 20^th anniversary. The IntLawGrrls symposium will discuss these – and many other – issues over the next ten days.

For an excellent overview of the issues being considered by the Assembly, please see the Backgrounder prepared by the Coalition for an ICC.

The first post in the symposium is by Jenny Poon.

Photo Credit: University of Western Ontario

Jenny is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Faculty of Law of the University of Western Ontario (Canada) and a qualified Barrister & Solicitor in Ontario. Jenny’s research focuses on examining the principle of non-refoulement as a norm in international and European law. Her thesis includes a comparative analysis of the United Kingdom and Germany.

A heartfelt welcome to Jenny to this IntLawGrrls symposium!

Thanks are extended to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for funding Jenny’s attendance at the Assembly through the Canadian Partnership for International Justice.