The Hague, 3 May 2017 – Based on the Wildlife Justice Commission’s experiences to date, including its first Public Hearing in November 2016, it was decided to revise the Accountability Panel Procedure. After a thorough internal evaluation and two rounds of intensive external validation, the adjustment process has resulted in a slimmed down procedure that covers the essence of our work while ensuring that fundamental principles are maintained.
The key adjustments are as follows:
Map of Facts → Case File
The detailed document containing evidence and intelligence analysis will now be called a Case File. The main objective of the Case File is to assist responsible law enforcement agencies to combat wildlife crime.
Accountability Panel → Independent Review Panel
Independent Review Panel (IRP) is the pool of appointed individuals willing to initially review a Case File or participate in a Public Hearing. The Designated Independent Review Panel (DIRP) refers to the IRP constituted for a Public Hearing in a specific case.
Reviewer → Initial Reviewer
The first assessment of the Case File and updated Case File will be conducted by one Initial Reviewer instead of two, with the possibility of adding another IRP member to advise the Initial Reviewer upon his or her request.
The rules have been adjusted to ensure optimal efficacy, efficiency and flexibility, while maintaining the essential principles of fairness, integrity, objectivity and transparency.
For more details please read the Rules of Procedure.