We were honored to welcome Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut - former Secretary General of the OSCE and former Vice President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) - for a fireside talk with scholarship holders of the Austrian Study Foundation at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) to discuss current global challenges from an international law perspective, and focus on the present role and the future of the ICC. We also thank Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christiane Wendehorst, President of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences of the OeAW, for welcoming our guest and participating.

How does the ICC operate today? What was it like to sign the Rome Statute? To what extent do international politics shape the work of international organizations? And will we ever achieve the vision of a functioning system of international law, rule, and order? These and many other questions raised by our scholarship holders were addressed in depth by Judge Perrin de Brichambaut, who shared various insights drawn from his extensive experience in national and international courts as well as in diplomacy and politics.

Personally, among the many fascinating reflections and anecdotes, I particularly enjoyed Judge Perrin de Brichambaut’s remarks on the ups and downs of the complex negotiations leading to the adoption of the Rome Statute (the treaty signed in Rome on 17 July 1998 that established the International Criminal Court - ratified by 125 states as of January 2026.

We all can only imagine the sheer excitement and sense of achievement shared by the parties upon finally laying the foundations of our current understanding of international criminal law. Beyond historical perspectives, we discussed current global conflicts, strategies to prevent future ones, and the evolving nature of diplomacy and power relations between global actors, among others. 

To conclude the evening, Judge Perrin de Brichambaut was asked the most challenging question of all - one familiar to many guests of our fireside talks: how he views the future of our generation. His answer, realistic yet refreshingly hopeful, left a lasting impression and provided a fitting conclusion to an outstanding and inspiring discussion. 

I would once again like to thank Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut for his time and for generously sharing his experiences with our scholarship holders.

Text: Alessandro Rodia | Photos: Angela Balder

Wir danken Alessandro Rodia im Rahmen von Geförderte machen Programm für Initiative und Organisation dieses Talks.