Visit by the Legal Counsel to Nuremberg, Germany
(6 and 7 June 2015) .

On 6 and 7 June 2015, the United Nations Legal Counsel, Mr. Serpa Soares visited Nuremberg where he represented the Secretary-General at the formal opening of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy. The Nuremberg Academy is a foundation dedicated to the advancement of international criminal law. The mission of the Nuremberg Academy is to promote the legitimacy, legality and acceptance of international criminal law and its application around the world. Its main fields of activity include interdisciplinary research, trainings and consultant services tailored to specific target groups, as well as human rights education.

The Secretary-General himself provided a video message [transcript] for the event. The Legal Counsel delivered a keynote address on the topic of bringing about an age of accountability [link to speech]. Mr. Serpa Soares’ speech drew from and built upon the historic speech that the Secretary-General delivered in May 2010 at the first Rome Statute Review Conference in Kampala, Uganda. The founders of the Nuremberg Academy were represented at the highest level: the Free State of Bavaria by Minister President Horst Seehofer, the German Federal Foreign Office by Foreign Minister Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the the City of Nuremberg by its Lord Mayor Dr. Ulrich Maly.