The Washington Working Group on the
International Criminal Court

History

In 1994 the New York office of the international World Federalist Movement (WFM) convened an informal Non-Governmental Organization Coalition for an International Criminal Court (CICC) to monitor and encourage the preliminary negotiations about creating an International Criminal Court. The Coalition now consists of some 1,000 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from many countries.

In the spring of 1995, the Coalition concluded that the ICC was likely to be established by treaty in the next few years. However, it recognized also that there was a serious and threatening possibility that the United States would be hostile to the Court. (For example, the United States took 40 years to ratify the Genocide Convention).

The Coalition decided that a group of American NGOs in Washington should begin at once to advocate for the ICC in Congress. It also resolved to work with the Administration toward a United States position in UN negotiations which would result in effective support of the Court by the United States, whether or not U.S. planned to ratify the ICC's treaty immediately.

Citizens for Global Solutions, the American branch of the WFM, offered to provide through its Washington office support services and a full-time paid coordinator. The Coalition and Citizens for Global Solutions agreed that the WICC would, however, be a free-standing body. The WICC had its inaugural meeting in Washington on December 15, 1995.