Editorial

The Bangui field office was inaugurated on 18 October in the presence of the highest authorities of the Central African Republic. With the opening of this office, the Court now has a presence in five countries outside of the Netherlands.

A number of points need to be made. First, the ICC has succeeded in opening this office in just five months. This underlines the progress we have achieved in relation to logistics and organisation. It must be further stressed that although this physical presence is first and foremost a tool for facilitating judicial work (the Office of the Prosecutor's investigation, witness protection etc), it also reminds victims that the ICC is accessible and that it is their Court.

Almost one hundred members of the Court's staff are currently based in one of the six field offices (which includes the New York liaison office). A challenge for the Court is to ensure that in their daily work, all ICC employees take the same approach and that, wherever they are based, they feel that they play a part in the organisation's common goals.

Bruno Cathala, Registrar