Dr Gerard Coffey was recently appointed to the Complementarity in International Criminal Law Committee of the International Law Association. The Committee was established to undertake research 
and to prepare reports on national efforts to investigate and prosecute international crimes under the rule of law.
The International Criminal Court is complementary to national criminal jurisdictions, which means that States have the jurisdiction and the primary obligation to investigate, prosecute and punish, and to prevent genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. For that reason, the Court will only step in when national judicial systems fail and it can be demonstrated that the State is either unwilling or unable to bring perpetrators to justice
