The United Nations Secretary-General has appointed Judge Theodor Meron as President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals for a term of four years effective 1 March 2012. 

Judge Meron has been serving as the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia since November 2011, a position that he will continue to hold while performing his functions at the Residual Mechanism.

The Security Council, recalling its decision of 22 December 2010 to establish an International Residual Mechanism to “continue the functions” of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda in anticipation of completion of the courts’ work, this morning appointed the Prosecutor of the “Mechanism”, to begin his four-year term tomorrow, 1 March.

The United Nations Secretary-General has appointed Mr. John Hocking as the Registrar of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.

Mr. Hocking has been serving as the Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia since May 2009, a position that he will continue to hold while performing his functions at the Residual Mechanism.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on 22 December adopted a Resolution to establish a new body to finish the remaining tasks of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) after the completion of their mandates. 

The Security Council decided this morning to establish the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals to finish the remaining tasks of the Tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia, and maintain their respective legacies.

Adopting resolution 1966 (2010) by a vote of 14 to none, with 1 abstention (Russian Federation), the Council decided that the Mechanism’s branch for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda would commence its operations on 1 July 2012 and that for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia on 1 July 2013.