On Tuesday 17th August 2021, Senator the Honourable Dr Amery Browne, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, received a Courtesy Call from Madame Justice Althea Alexis-Windsor, Judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) who will soon assume duties at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands.
Minister Browne was pleased to congratulate Madame Justice on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and to convey to her the best wishes of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Minister Browne encouraged Madame Justice with the following words: “God’s speed as you take up this new level of service to humanity, and I admonish you to bear in mind that you take with you the pride and aspirations of many young girls and boys of our nation who are elevated by your progress.”
Madame Justice Althea Alexis-Windsor was elected on 23 December 2020 as a Judge of the International Criminal Court for the period 2021 to 2030, during the reconvened Nineteenth Session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC in New York.
The election of Madame Justice Alexis-Windsor is a testament to the international recognition of Trinidad and Tobago’s pioneering work in the establishment of the ICC which predates the entry into force of the Rome Statute. In 1989, the late former Prime Minister and President Arthur N.R. Robinson resurrected the idea of the establishment of a court with jurisdiction over international crimes in an address to the United Nations General Assembly.
The Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs coordinated the national campaign to get Madame Justice Althea Alexis-Windsor elected, and its Diplomats employed their extraordinary negotiating skill and persistent advocacy to achieve the number of votes required for success. The process to election engaged the dedicated energies of both the Ministry’s Headquarters and its Overseas Missions, particularly the Permanent Mission of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations in New York and the Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago in Belgium.
Madame Justice Alexis-Windsor possesses over 23 years of experience in the field of criminal law including international criminal law. She has served as a Trial Attorney and Appeals Counsel at the International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda (ICTR) and currently holds the office of Judge of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago where she has been serving for the past seven (7) years. Madame Justice Alexis-Windsor also has a Master of Law (LLM) in International Criminal Law, specializing in the Internationalization of Crime and Criminal Justice from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands.
