The third annual Amsterdam Dialogue: Promoting Peace and Protecting Rights took place on 26 and 27 November 2012 with thirty eight participants. Special guests included ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, former UN Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs and current HRW Europe Director Jan Egeland, and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and current CEO of Crisis Group, Louise Arbour.
Two leading themes coming out of Amsterdam Dialogue 2012 were: the influence of timing and sequencing of justice on concurrent peace processes, and the role of women during and after conflict, including the way in which gender can be used as a tool to move towards peace. Additionally, breakout sessions focused on concrete issues related to peace and justice in Kenya, Myanmar, Libya and Syria.
The conference started with an introductory plenary session, where participants defined the broader lines of the discussions. As in previous years, a Q&A session with the ICC Chief Prosecutor was also included. Louise Arbour interviewed the current Chief Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, about the effect the Court can have on national legal systems, and the importance of ensuring outreach to affected communities to manage expectations placed on the Court. The Chief Prosecutor also stressed that the Office of the Prosecutor considers each country’s political situation carefully, particularly efforts of peace negotiators, in their decision-making process. The conference continued with breakout sessions to allow for substantive discussions on recent developments in specific cases, and what practical steps can be taken for them. Participants took discussion points from these specific breakout sessions with them to more broadly address the role of women during and after conflict in the plenary session that followed. From there, a concluding plenary reflected on the past days’ discussions and drew lessons for future practical efforts.
Agenda day 1, November 26
12:00 – 13:00 Arrival
Registration, coffee & sandwiches
13:00 – 13:30 Opening Remarks
- Louise Arbour (President and Chief Executive Officer, International Crisis Group)
- Jan Egeland (Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council)
- Ram Manikkalingam (Director, Dialogue Advisory Group)
14:00 – 15:30 Plenary session
Working Through Peace & Justice
- Jan Egeland (Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council)
- Priscilla Hayner (Independent Writer and Consultant)
- Angela Kane (Former UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs)
- Jean Daniël Ruch (Switzerland’s Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro)
15:00 – 15:30 Break
15:30 – 17:00 Plenary session
Q&A with the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
- Fatou Bensouda (Prosecutor, International Criminal Court)
- Louise Arbour (President and Chief Executive Officer, International Crisis Group)
17:30 – 19:00 Reception at the Mayor’s Residence
19:00 – 22:00 Dinner
Agenda day 2, November 27
09:00 – 10:30 Parallel break-out sessions
ICC indictments in the midst of political crisis – lessons form Kenya
Myanmar: the Moment of Truth
10:30 – 11.00 Break
11:00 – 12:30 Plenary Discussion
Libya and Syria: mediation and the journey to justice
13:30 – 15:00 Concluding Plenary
Gender, Peace and Justice
15:00 – 15:30 Closing Remarks
- David Petrasek (Senior Adviser, Dialogue Advisory Group)