First week: 4 – 8 July, 2011
at Gaborone Sun Hotel

The first week of the conference is designed for 15 senior journalists/editors from Botswana and 15 senior journalists from other African countries which are ICC related (Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Namibia, South Africa, Libya, Zimbabwe). The journalists are from radio, television and print media.

Second week: 11 – 15 July, 2011 at the Department of Media Studies, University of Botswana

The second week is a workshop designed for 15 field reporters and other journalists from radio and print. It will focus on the journalistic skills needed to cover international criminal justice issues, to report responsibly and to promote ethical journalism.

Acknowledgements

The German Federal Foreign Office for the financial support without which this project would not have been possible. The German Embassy in Gaborone for its cooperation and support and for sponsoring the reception at the Ambassador’s Residence.

First Week Programme: 4 – 8 July 2011

Monday, 4th July

• 10:00 Opening remarks by Augustine Makgonatsotlhe, Secretary for Defence, Justice and Security in the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security, Botswana, Thomas Strieder, Head of the International Criminal Court Section, Federal Foreign Office, Berlin, Annett Günther, German Ambassador to Botswana.
• 11:30 Sanji Monageng, Judge of the International Criminal Court, The Hague, Netherlands. “The International Criminal Court: Current situation and challenges. Provisions of the ICC Statute dealing with immunities and amnesties and the question of peace and justice.”
• 14:30 David Tolbert, President of the International Center for Transitional Justice, New York. “Making complementarity work in practice.”

Tuesday, 5th July

• 9:30 Dapo Akande, Co-Director, Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict; University Lecturer in Public International Law and Yamani Fellow, St Peter's College Oxford. “Immunity and International Criminal Tribunals.”
• 11:30 Stephen Rapp, US Ambassador for War Crimes, State Department, Washington. From the perspective of the former chief prosecutor who faced Charles Taylor: “The prosecution of heads of state.”
• 14:30 Round Table Discussion with Tolbert, Monageng, Akande and Rapp.
• 19:00 Reception hosted by Annett Günther, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany at her Residence, Plot 3092, North Ring Road

International guest speakers

During the first week, national and international high profile guest speakers will visit and address the conference participants. After their respective presentations, the guest speakers will be questioned and interviewed by the journalists/participants. The resulting materials will become an integral part of the final production of audiovisual and press reports at the end of the conference.

The topics to be addressed are:

• Can international tribunals strip heads of state off their immunity? Will neighbouring countries arrest visiting heads of state who have been indicted by an international tribunal?
• Amnesties - what role, if any, may amnesties appropriately play in international criminal justice? Shall the pursuit of justice take a back or a front seat to ongoing peace negotiations?
• How to resolve the contradiction between the African Union’s decision that its member states shall not cooperate with the ICC in the arrest of President Bashir and the obligations the African States Parties have under the ICC statute?
• How does the African Union want to address issues of accountability and the fight against impunity?
• How to counter the perception that “Africa" is targeted by the ICC?

Wednesday, 6th July

• 9:30 Fatou Bensouda, Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, The Hague, Netherlands. “Investigating international crimes: the strategy of the Office of the Prosecutor. Does the ICC target Africa? Is the ICC selectively prosecuting cases?”
• 11:00 Ben Kioko, Legal Counsel, African Union Commission, Addis Ababa, “Fighting impunity in Africa: The African Union and the ICC.”
• 14:30 Athaliah Molokomme, Attorney General, Botswana. “Botswana and the ICC – Obligations as a member of the African Union and the ICC.”

Thursday, 7th July

• 9:30 Christian Wenaweser, President of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court, New York. “Relationship between the ICC and the African Union and the role of African States Parties.”
• 14:00 Question-Answer-Session with Fatou Bensouda and Ben Kioko.

Friday, 8th July

• 9:30 Todd Buchwald, Assistant Legal Adviser for United Nations Affairs, State Department, Washington. “Reflections on the ‘chinks’ in the armor in the battle against impunity.”
• 11:30 Thomas Strieder, Head of the International Criminal Court Section, Federal Foreign Office, Berlin. “Present state of affairs and future prospects of the International Criminal Court: the German government perspective.”
• 14:00 Round Table Discussion with Wenaweser, Buchwald and Strieder.
• 16:30 Wrap-up and Awarding of certificates.