I International Congress on Universal Jurisdiction
Research / Universal jurisdiction
With the aim of discussing the draft Principles of Universal Jurisdiction approved at the I International Congress on Universal Jurisdiction in 2014, FIBGAR organized regional working groups and 6 seminars were held in Puerto Rico, Paraguay, the Netherlands, Spain and South Africa, gathering the support of more than 100 international experts.
In September 2015, almost a year and a half later, after intense work with institutions, universities and forums of jurists from around the world, the II Congress on Universal Jurisdiction was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The forum, in which countries from all over the world were represented (Argentina, Brazil, Guatemala, Spain, Costa Rica, Palestine, Chile, United States, Canada, Kenya and India) and in which 35 experts of more than 15 nationalities participated, discussed the state of the principle of Universal Jurisdiction and the new challenges posed to guarantee the fight against impunity and the prosecution of crimes against humanity.
The objective of the congress was to reach a consensus on a document establishing the bases of the principle of Universal Jurisdiction, the guidelines to be followed during the coming decades in the prosecution and trial of crimes against humanity, in the defense of victims and witnesses, in the coordination between the different national and international bodies linked to this principle and in the definition of new crimes, such as environmental or economic crimes, which, due to their seriousness and negative impact on the fundamental rights of broad sectors of the world’s population, should be included in the “catalog” of crimes that can be prosecuted under the Universal Jurisdiction criterion.
The result was a success: on the last day, the final version of the new Principles of Universal Jurisdiction, called the Madrid-Buenos Aires Principles, was unanimously approved by all the international experts. This text established new mechanisms for the fight against impunity through the application of Universal Jurisdiction in the world, and laid the foundations for Universal Jurisdiction in the coming decades.
Access Madrid-Buenos Aires Principles
Access the videos of the Congress HERE
