Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee Welcomes Appointment

 

of Judge Kimberly Prost to Serve as Ombudsperson

 

The Security Council Sanctions Committee established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1267 (1999) welcomes the recent appointment by the Secretary-General of Judge Kimberly Prost (Canada) to serve as Ombudsperson, pursuant to Security Council resolution 1904 (2009), to assist the Committee in its consideration of delisting requests received from individuals and entities subject to the Security Council’s relevant sanctions measures against Al-Qaida and the Taliban, who seek removal from the Committee’s Consolidated List.

Petitioners seeking delisting can now present their case to an independent and impartial Ombudsperson, who, after a period of information gathering and dialogue with the petitioner and relevant states, and with the help of the Monitoring Team, will present a comprehensive report to the Committee laying out the principal arguments concerning the delisting request based on an analysis of all the information available to the Ombudsperson and the Ombudsperson’s observations.  The specific steps the Ombudsperson will carry out in the fulfilment of her mandate are set out in annex II of resolution 1904 (2009). 

The Committee considers the appointment of the Ombudsperson an important step in ensuring that the Committee’s procedures for removing individuals and entities from the Consolidated List are fair and clear, as called for by the Heads of State and Government at the 2005 World Summit (A/RES/60/1, para. 109), and also in addressing the challenges, both legal and otherwise, to the sanctions measures implemented by Members States pursuant to paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 1904 (2009).

The Committee, which consulted closely with the Secretary-General in the appointment of the Ombudsperson, notes that Judge Kimberly Prost brings to the post an extensive background in the relevant fields of law, human rights and counter-terrorism.  Most recently Ms. Prost served as ad litem Judge with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.  A short biography of Judge Prost is attached.

Biographical Note

Ms. Kimberly Prost has served as an ad litem judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia since July 2006.

In March 2005, Judge Prost joined the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as Chief, Legal Advisory Section.  In that position she led a team responsible for assisting countries with the legal implementation of the drug, crime and terrorism conventions and the related delivery of technical assistance projects.  Under her direction the section provided legal advice to the International Narcotics Control Board and to various sections of UNODC on proposed projects.

In July 2000, Judge Prost joined the Commonwealth Secretariat as Head of the Criminal Law Section.  In that capacity she provided advice to the Executive Committee and to the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, in addition to delivering a range of assistance programs for member countries on counter-terrorism, human rights protections in criminal investigations, international cooperation, anti-money-laundering and asset forfeiture, implementation of the Rome Statute and of Security Council Resolution 1373 and combating corruption and organized crime.

Previously, Judge Prost worked for the Canadian Department of Justice for almost twenty years as a federal prosecutor.  She appeared as counsel in both provincial and federal trial and appellate courts and she argued several cases before the Supreme Court of Canada.  She provided advice to police, investigators and prosecutors, in a range of criminal cases and in security and intelligence matters.  She prepared various opinions on and argued several cases related to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

For ten years Judge Prost worked in the International Assistance Group, Canada’s central authority for international criminal cooperation matters, serving as Director of the group for seven years.  In that capacity, she participated in the negotiation of over 40 extradition and mutual legal assistance treaties.

Judge Prost was a member of the Canadian delegation for the negotiation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crimeand the United Nations Convention against Corruption,two significant conventions developed under the auspices of UNODC.  She was, as well, on the Canadian delegation for the negotiation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the related Rules of Procedure and Evidence and Elements of Crime.

Judge Prost has lectured extensively throughout her career and has authored several publications.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record