Emilie Hunter
Case Matrix Network

The capacity of national justice sector institutions to prosecute the perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes is one of the greatest challenges to national rule of law initiatives within the context of peace and security. Approximately 60% of States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are yet to adapt their national legal framework to the cooperation requirements, crimes and modes of liability defined by the ICC Statute. Positive Complementarity is the most important conceptual insight to address this. Emerging from the Office of the Prosecutor, positive complementarity is a broad stakeholder enterprise. The ICC Assembly of States has invited States, international organisations and NGOs to participate in a national capacity development framework. Practical and innovative efforts to address national capacity have directly tackled three of the most prohibitive aspects of core international crime adjudication: complexity, quantity and costTwo such examples include the Legal Tools Database (LTD) the largest online library of documents relevant to the practice of international criminal law, and the Case Matrix Network (CMN), which provides users with technology aided services to assist in the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of core international crimes. The international community has contributed steadfastly to the development of positive complementarity and can continue to further its impact by mainstreaming accountability measures for core international crime into its legal technical assistance and capacity developing programmes, ensuring that activities are driven by thorough analysis of the need of national justice sectors and reflective of cost effective methods of delivery.

Read more on the different mechanisms of strengthening the Rule of Law by measuring local practice here.

This essay is part of the Innovations in the Rule of Law  Report produced by the WJP and the Hiil. The report highlights innovations and insights through a series of concise papers by key experts and organisations in the area of rule of law. For more information, please visit the reports page here.

Emilie Hunter Case Matrix Network
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Otomí spiritual leader Lucina Hernández Reyes leads a walk in a forest with community leaders in San Miguel Almaya, Capulhuac

As part of a multidimensional project funded by the Canadian Embassy in Mexico, WJP has produced a new report that seeks to increase the visibility of Indigenous mediation programs. It comes as a growing number of governments, donors, and communities are embracing a paradigm shift to people-centered justice. That global movement prioritizes identifying people’s legal needs and fostering accessible solutions to address them, rather than primarily investing in established institutions that are missing the mark. 

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