By Mark Longyen
The ECOWAS Court of Justice, International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Criminal Court, (ICC), and Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), have pledged to deepen their cooperation to enhance global jurisprudence.
They made the pledge during a working visit by a high-level ECOWAS Court delegation, led by its President, Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, to the institutions’ headquarters at The Hague, Netherlands.
The four international judicial institutions all agreed to establish inter-institutional partnerships, initiate staff exchange and training programmes and research.
“These steps are expected to contribute to the continued growth and modernisation of the ECOWAS Court’s judicial operations.
“The mission aimed to deepen inter-institutional cooperation and enhance the Court’s exposure to international judicial practices,” a statement by the court’s spokesman, Felicien Hounkanrin, said.
He said that the visit included strategic engagements with the three major international legal institutions.
“Discussions focused on jurisdictional frameworks, prosecutorial processes, legal research tools, and opportunities for collaboration in areas such as training, legal staff exchange, and library development.
“At the ICC, the delegation was received by Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou, Second Vice-President of the Court.
“A key highlight included a lecture by Mamadou Racine Ly, Advisor to the Prosecutor and Legal Officer, Dr Ania Salinas Cerda, on admissibility criteria and prosecutorial mechanisms,” Hounkanrin said.
He also said that the PCA hosted the delegation at the Peace Palace, where its Secretary-General, Dr Marcin Czepelak, welcomed the delegation.
The Community Court’s spokesman said that legal officers of the PCA delivered a session on the institution’s history, mandate, and current caseload, emphasising its unique role in inter-state and investor-state dispute resolution.
“At the ICJ, the ECOWAS judges held a judicial dialogue with the President of the Court, Judge Yuji Iwasawa, and other sitting judges, exploring both courts’ complementary roles in the international legal order,” he added.(NAN)
Edited by Sadiya Hamza
