𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚

𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐉𝐔𝐋, 𝟐𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: The Government of the Republic of The Gambia’s campaign in support of the candidature of Honourable Justice Veronic Wright for election as Judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) continued in Geneva with a series of diplomatic engagements, following the successful launch of her diplomatic outreach in New York on 19th June 2026.

Justice Wright is presented by the Government of The Gambia as a highly qualified candidate under List A of the Rome Statute, with recognised expertise in criminal law and procedure. Her distinguished career spans national prosecution, judicial service, international criminal tribunals, United Nations accountability mechanisms, legal reform and transitional justice.

As part of the Geneva programme, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of The Gambia to the United Nations Office, WTO and other International Organisations in Geneva, under the leadership of H.E. Ambassador Professor Muhammadou M.O. Kah, hosted a breakfast meeting in honour of Justice Wright on 26th June 2026. The meeting brought together a cross-regional group of Ambassadors, Deputy Permanent Representatives and delegates from African States, Asia-Pacific States, Eastern European States, Latin American and Caribbean States, and Western European and Other States.

The breakfast meeting provided an opportunity for Justice Wright to present her candidature directly to States Parties and to share her professional experience, judicial vision and commitment to strengthening the International Criminal Court. In her remarks, Justice Wright spoke about her more than three decades of service in criminal justice, accountability and the rule of law, including her work as a prosecutor in The Gambia, her experience at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, her service with the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and her engagement with United Nations accountability mechanisms.

Justice Wright highlighted her experience in the prosecution of genocide and crimes against humanity, investigations into sexual and gender-based crimes and crimes against children, legal reform, judicial cooperation, institutional strengthening and transitional justice. She also outlined her vision for an International Criminal Court that is independent, fair, efficient, victim-centred and firmly grounded in the Rome Statute, due process, equality of arms and the rights of all parties before the Court.

The engagement also highlighted The Gambia’s strong commitment to accountability, the rule of law and human rights, including through its national transitional justice process, its action before the International Court of Justice in the Rohingya case and its consistent support for accountability and a victim-centred approach within the Human Rights Council.

The presentation was followed by an interactive question-and-answer session, during which participants engaged with Justice Wright on various issues relating to international criminal justice, accountability, judicial independence, victims’ rights, due process and the role of the ICC.

Justice Wright’s engagement in Geneva will continue with bilateral meetings with States Parties to the Rome Statute. These engagements form part of The Gambia’s broader diplomatic outreach to secure support for her election to the ICC bench.

The Permanent Mission of The Gambia expresses its appreciation to all States and partners that participated in the Geneva engagement and looks forward to continued support for Justice Wright’s candidature.