Brussels, 29 January 2021/OACPS: On behalf of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, Secretary-General, H.E. Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti congratulates the Government and people of the Republics of Sierra Leone, and Trinidad and Tobago on the election of High Court judges, Miatta Maria Samba and Althea Alexis-Windsor (respectively), to the bench of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the period of 2021 to 2030.

The Secretary-General notes that the appointment of Justices Samba and Alexis-Windsor, both OACPS nationals, recognises the world-class talent resident within the Members of the OACPS which qualifies them for appointment to the highest judicial offices, and is a further victory for women legal professionals across the OACPS.

Furthermore, in keeping with the OACPS’ commitment to gender diversity and policies that promote inclusive, egalitarian societies that empower women as a sine non qua for sustainable development, the Secretary-General is pleased to note the appointment of these two distinguished female OACPS representatives.

H.E. Chikoti, takes the opportunity to recognize the contributions of the justices from the OACPS who are currently on the bench of the ICC – Justice Reine Alapini-Gansou of the Republic of Benin, Justice Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Justice Solomy Balungi Bossa of the Republic of Uganda. He offers his appreciation to the outgoing judges, whose tenures end in 2021, for their service to the ICC: Chief Prosecutor, Justice Fatou Bensouda of the Republic of The Gambia, Justice Olga Venecia Herrera Carbuccia of the Dominican Republic, Justice Chile Eboe-Osuji of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Justice Geoffrey A. Henderson of Trinidad and Tobago.