International Criminal Court

Assembly of States Parties

First Session (Resumed)

10^th Meeting (PM)

STATES PARTIES TO INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT ELECT BUDGET COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Ten of Twelve Seats Filled

The Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court elected 10 of 12 members to the Court’s Committee on Budget and Finance this afternoon, as it continued in its second resumed first session.

Constituting 12 members once the election is completed, the Committee on Budget and Finance will be responsible for overseeing the financial, budgetary and administrative operations of the Court, which came into force in July 2002.

The 10 Committee members elected today are:  Fawzi Gharaibeh (Jordan) and Myung-jae Hahn (Republic of Korea) from the Asian States Group; Eduardo Gallardo Aparicio (Bolivia) and Santiago Wins Arnabal (Uruguay) from the Latin American and Caribbean States Group; David Dutton (Australia), Peter Lovell (United Kingdom), Karl Paschke (Germany) and Michel-Etienne Tilemans (Belgium) from the Western European and Other States Group; and Lambert Dah Kindji (Benin) and John F.S. Muwanga (Uganda) of the African States Group.  The members from the African States were elected following one round of secret balloting; the remainders were elected by consensus, as the number of candidates corresponded to the number of seats allocated to them.

Also this afternoon, the Assembly decided to defer the election of the Committee’s two remaining members from the Eastern European Group, as that Group had not submitted candidates to fill the two seats allotted to it.

The 12-member Committee is tasked with technical examination of documents submitted to the Assembly containing financial or budgetary implications, as well as other matters of a financial, budgetary or administrative nature.  In particular, the Committee will review and make recommendations on the Court’s proposed programme budget, which will be prepared by the Registrar.  It will also consider reports of the Auditor of the Court on its financial operations.

To allow the Committee on Budget and Finance to begin its work, the Assembly adopted a draft resolution (contained in document ICC-ASP/1/9), by which it decided that the partially constituted Committee could commence its functions.  The Assembly also decided that the two remaining candidates from the Eastern European States would join the Committee’s work upon their election.

Election to the Committee is on the basis of equitable geographical distribution, with two of the Committee’s seats allotted to the African States Group, two to the Asian States, two to the Eastern European States, two to the Latin American and Caribbean States and four to the Western European and Other States Group.

The results of the African Group ballot were as follows:

Total number of ballot papers:     81

Number of invalid papers:       0

Number of valid papers:           81

Number of members voting:     81

Number of abstentions:        0

Required majority:      54

Number of votes received:

Lambert Dah Kindji (Benin):    70

John F.S. Muwanga (Uganda):   61

Norman Chitundu Mwango (Zambia):   25

Experts of recognized standing and experience in international financial matters, the members of the Committee on Budget and Finance hold a term of office beginning from the date of election of three calendar years and may be re-elected.  Of the 12 members initially elected, four are elected for a period of one year, four for a period of two years, and the remaining four for a period of three years.  The length of term will be determined by a drawing of lots.

The Assembly of States Parties will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 22 April, to continue its work.

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