Day 3: Stocktaking Begins

With the plenary sessions (where national delegations delivered their official statements) now completed, attention has turned to the so-called stocktaking sessions.  These 3-hour panel discussions will address four topics: the relationship of the Court to victims and affected communities, and peace and justice are on the agenda today.  Tomorrow will see sessions on complementarity and cooperation.  These offer a different format from the more static set-piece speeches of Monday and Tuesday.  The panels are composed of a mix of legal experts and practitioners, with a variety of geographic regions and issues represented.   A set of parallel civil society stocktaking sessions with academics and non-governmental experts round out this experience.

In many respects, these panels resemble those of an academic conference: each panelist is given a defined period of time (here approximately five minutes) to make a statement, with a question period afterward.  Having observed three sessions, I wonder whether–and how–these panels contribute to the goals of promoting understanding and improvement of the Court’s operations.

This is not intended as a cynical reaction, as I have found the discussions to be extremely valuable.  Many fascinating insights were shared, and insightful questions drove that process forward.  Rather, my questioning is directed towards the manners in which institutions can effectively self-analyze and learn.  Information-sharing is undoubtedly valuable, but to what ends?  How can this collection of experiences and analysis be harnessed to promote more effective international criminal justice?  So a question for readers: how is organizational knowledge best developed?