Osvaldo Zavala Giler sworn in as Registrar of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Wednesday during a public ceremony held at the seat of the Court in The Hague, The Netherlands. H.E. Kateřina Sequensová, Vice-President of the Assembly of States Parties and Judge Piotr Hofmański, ICC President, served as witness to the solemn undertaking.
At the outset of the ceremony, the ICC President Piotr Hofmański expressed, “Mr Zavala Giler comes to the post of Registrar with a wealth of highly relevant experience. He has served in progressively senior functions in the ICC’s Registry for more than 11 years, gaining first-hand insight into all the different responsibilities – as well as challenges – that the Registrar’s job carries. During this time, he has shown great skill and commitment in performing his duties. I have no doubt that he is a person to whom Peter Lewis can hand the baton with confidence at the end of his mandate.”
On the occasion, H.E. Kateřina Sequensová, Vice-President of the Assembly of States Parties, said: “I would like to assure Mr. Zavala Giler of the full support of the Assembly and its States Parties in the steadfast defense of the Rome Statute, the Court, its officials and staff.”
Mr Zavala Giler then signed his oath before ASP Vice-President H.E. Kateřina Sequensová. “I am committed to honouring the confidence the Judges placed in me by further strengthening and streamlining the various duties and services to the judicial proceedings and the administration of the Court that fall under the remit of the Registry, working with all parties and participants, in a fair, neutral and expeditious way. I will also be guided by the duty to preserve the legitimacy of the Court, and I will work closely with our States Parties and all our stakeholders to ensure the Court can and will succeed in the fulfilment of its critical mandate”, he declared.
It is pertinent to mention that Osvaldo Zavala Giler (Ecuador) was elected for a period of five years by the judges of the Court, on 10 February 2023. Succeeding ICC Registrar Peter Lewis (United Kingdom), Mr Zavala Giler will formally take office on 17 April 2023.
As Registrar, he will exercise his functions as the principal administrative officer of the Court under the authority of the President, and head one of the four organs of the Court, the Registry. The Registry is responsible for the non-judicial aspects of the administration of the Court, and as such supports the Court so it can conduct fair and effective public proceedings. The Registry is responsible for general court management, security, public information, court records, translation and interpretation, counsel support, support for victims to participate in proceedings and apply for reparations, and much more.
