- Philippe Kirsch
Philippe Kirsch QC is a Canadian
lawyer and has been President of theInternational Criminal Court and ajudge in its Appeals Division since March 2003.Kirsch is member of the Bar of the Province of
Quebec and of theCanadian Council on International Law and was appointedQueen's Counsel in 1988. He has extensive experience in the process of the establishment of the International Criminal Court,international humanitarian law andinternational criminal law .In 1998 Kirsch served as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole of the Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court. He was also Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court (1999 to 2002).
Kirsch served as Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the International Conference on the Problem of War Victims (1993), Chairman of the preparatory and subsequent Intergovernmental Working Groups of Government Experts on the Protection of War Victims (1993, 1995), and Chairman of the Drafting Committee at the 26th and 27th International Conferences of the
Red Cross and the Red Crescent (1995, 1999). He was Chairman of the Canadian National Committee on Humanitarian Law (1998 - 1999) and member of the Group of International Advisers to the International Committee of the Red Cross (2000 - 2003).He has extensive experience in the development of international criminal law with regard to issues such as various acts of
terrorism ; suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of maritimenavigation ; unlawful acts ofviolence atairport s serving international civil aviation; safety and security ofUN and associated personnel and the taking of hostages.Kirsch, who joined the Department of External Affairs of
Canada in 1972, has held a number of positions in the Department, including Assistant Deputy Minister for Legal, Consular andPassport Affairs, Ottawa (1994-1996); and Director General, Bureau of Legal Affairs, Ottawa (1992-1994). He was Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations (1988-1992), Deputy Representative to the Security Council (1989-1990) and Canada’s ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden.Kirsch holds a Bachelor of Civil Law and an
LL.M. degree from theUniversité de Montréal (1972).References
* [http://www.worldwhoswho.com/views/entry.html?id=sl856260&ssid=346266964&n=1 KIRSCH, Philippe] International Who's Who. accessed
September 4 ,2006 .
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