Dapo Akande appointed Consultant by African Union

Dapo Akande has been appointed as a Consultant by the African Union to contribute to a review of the work of the International Criminal Court. The African Union will be holding a Ministerial meeting, in June 2009, of African States Parties to the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court. The purpose of the meeting is “to exchange views on the work of the ICC in relation to Africa, in particular in the light of the processes initiated against African personalities, and to submit recommendations thereon taking into account all relevant elements.” The meeting was called in part as a result of the request by the ICC prosecutor for an arrest warrant for the President of Sudan, Omar Al Bashir. However, the meeting of African States is also significant because all of the situations currently under investigation by the Court and all of the current prosecutions arise from the African continent. Dapo has been appointed to assist the Commission of the African in the preparation of a background report including  recommendations. Dapo has recently written an article on "The Legal Nature of Security Council Referrals to the ICC and its Impact on Al Bashir's Immunities" (forthcoming (2009) 7 Journal of International Criminal Justice). His previous publications include:  “The Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over Nationals of Non-Parties”, (2003) 1 Journal of International Criminal Justice 618-650 for which he was awarded the inaugural Premio Regione Toscana Giorgio La Pira Prize in 2003; and “International Law Immunities and the International Criminal Court”, (2004) 98 American Journal of International 407-433.