The Scientific Advisory Board of the Office of the Prosecutor holds its 5th annual meeting

On 21 and 22 June 2018, the Office of the Prosecutor (the "Office") of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or the "Court") held its 5^th annual meeting of the Scientific Advisory Board (the "Board") of the Office, at the seat of the Court in The Hague, The Netherlands. 

The Board provides recommendations to the ICC Prosecutor, Mrs Fatou Bensouda, on the latest developments in new and emerging technologies, and scientific methods and procedures that can further reinforce the Office's capabilities in the collection, management and analysis of scientific evidence relating to the investigation and prosecution of crimes listed in the Rome Statute.  Adapting the Office's investigative and prosecutorial capabilities and networks to the rapidly-changing scientific and technological environment in which it operates is a strategic goal set by the Prosecutor for the Office.

In opening this year's meeting, Professor Duarte Nuno Vieira thanked the Office of the Prosecutor for organising the annual gathering, as well as representatives of organisations which are members of the Scientific Advisory Board, for attending in person or via video link. 

Professor Vieira highlighted that since its establishment in 2014, the Board has reviewed a variety of Standard Operating Procedures in support of the operational forensic investigative activities of the Office of the Prosecutor. Two additional Standard Operating Procedures were reviewed and discussed by the Board at this year's event, relating to the use of remote sensing evidence and the collection and handling of medical information.  "Justice will only reach the highest level of effectiveness if it relies on the best scientific evidence", said Professor Vieira.

On behalf of the ICC Prosecutor, the Director of the Prosecution Division, Mr Fabricio Guariglia, expressed appreciation to the Board members for their commitment and important contribution to the work of the Office. He recalled the development of the Forensic Science Section, using the latest methods, techniques and accepted standards, as well as the instrumental role of the Board which has helped guide the Office in defining best practices for forensics in the context of international criminal investigations and prosecutions.

Dr Eric Baccard, Head of the Office's Forensic Science Section, and Executive Secretary of the Board, reported on the activities of the Office from the perspective of the use of scientific methods and related developments. He highlighted the continuous increase in the volume of requests received by the Forensic Science Section from the different prosecution teams and the various challenges met by its three units (respectively, the Forensic, Imagery, and Cyber Units) while simultaneously collecting and analysing scientific evidence. He further expressed his satisfaction and pride in the Office's progress in this area since 2004. In addition to review of Standard Operating Procedures, other issues discussed during the annual meeting included, notably, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) accreditation and expansion of the Board's scientific support to the Office of the Prosecutor.

The meeting also included presentations by three of the scientific member organisations of the Board.

In her closing remarks, the Office's Investigations Coordinator, Mrs Cristina Ribeiro, reiterated the Prosecutor's gratitude to the Board for their accomplishments to date and the importance of scientific evidence to the advancement of the goals of the Rome Statute.

The following organizations were represented at the 5^th meeting of the Board:

1. Dr Djaja Surya Atmadja  (Indo-Pacific Association of Law, Medicine and Science);         
2. Dr Einar Bjorgo  (UNOSAT / United Nations Institute for Training and Research);
3. Mr  Christopher Church (INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation), via video link from Singapore;      
4. Prof James Curran (Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society);     
5. Prof Niamh Nic  Daeid (INTERPOL International Forensic Science Managers Symposium);
6. Dr Johansen Oduor (African Society of Forensic Medicine);     
7. Prof Claude Roux (International Association of Forensic Sciences);        
8. Dr Marvin Salas Zúñiga (Academia Iberoamericana de Criminalistica y Estudios Forenses);       
9. Prof Dina A. Shokry (Mediterranean Academy of Forensic Sciences, Arab Union of Forensics and Toxicology);      
10. Mr Marco Tolli (EUROPOL European Cybercrime Centre EC3) ;      
11. Prof Dr Duarte Nuno Vieira (International Academy of Legal Medicine,  European Council of Legal Medicine,  Ibero-american Network of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Science Institutions);     
12. Dr Victor W. Weedn (World Association for Medical Law); 
13. Dr Linzi Wilson--Wilde (International Forensic Strategic Alliance);   
14. Prof Dariusz Zuba (European Network of Forensic Science Institutes), and
15. Observer: Dr Veronica Borrett (Scientific Advisory Board of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons).