Richard H. Steinberg, Olga Werby and Christopher Werby
UCLAForum.com is a co‐operative venture between the UCLA Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project and the International Criminal Court Office of the Prosecutor (ICC OTP). The…
Abstract
Purpose
UCLAForum.com is a co‐operative venture between the UCLA Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project and the International Criminal Court Office of the Prosecutor (ICC OTP). The main purpose of the forum is to create an opportunity for the greater legal community to engage in a dialogue covering topics of special interest to the Prosecutor. The purpose of this paper is to document the process of developing this unique resource in the form of a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
This study provides the history of the project, web‐use statistics, structural details that shed light on the use of information communication technology (ICT) within a complex partnership of UCLA School of Law and ICC OTP, and provides a summary of the outcome to date.
Findings
There have been six debates to date. Individuals from 190 countries speaking 90 languages have visited the forum and almost 280,000 words have been written on the Forum since its launch in September 2010.
Social implications
UCLAForum.com is the only place on the internet where an average online citizen has access to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court by simply posting his or her opinion on the Forum.
Originality/value
UCLAForum.com is a unique use of ICT to explore issues of interest to the Prosecutor of the ICC. It provides a place where these issues get highlighted. It presents the relevant legal landscape with the framing of the issue and the invited experts, in addition to the public debate. The Forum provides visibility to OTP policy decisions. It gives voice to the public and creates a community of interested parties around each issue. And it vets each issue in a defined time span, making it a useful resource prior to its ripening before the ICC.