Day One at the Assembly of States Parties

Today, I attended the opening session of the Tenth Assembly of States Parties meeting of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in New York City.  As I walked into the United Nations building this morning to collect my badge, I was excited to see what the day would bring at my first ASP meeting.  It turned out to be quite an interesting and eventful morning.  Some highlights:

--Ambassador Tiina Intelmann of Estonia was elected as President of the Assembly of States Parties, and presided over the day's session;

--The President of Botswana gave an outstanding speech urging African state parties to cooperate with the ICC, for the mutual benefit of the Court and Africa, and called out UN Security Council members who have vetoed important resolutions due to "politics;"

--UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay spoke about how the ICC has helped to deter tyrants, and that the Libya trials--wherever they are ultimately held--will be a victory for the Rome Statute;

--ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo spoke about the Court's work since its inception in 2002, and how the "shadow of the Court" has served as a deterrent to those who would commit heinous crimes;

--And finally, the ASP elected, by acclamation, Fatou Bensouda as its new Prosecutor-Elect.  She is currently the ICC Deputy Prosecutor.  She will take over from Ocampo when his term ends in June 2012.  Bensouda is the second Prosecutor in the Court's history, and the first woman and first African to hold this critical position.  I also got a chance to shake hands with and congratulate Bensouda on her election--the highlight of the day for me!

I will be at ASP for a few more days, and I'll provide updates on the goings-on in the next few days.  It's been a fascinating experience so far!