The Secretary-General met today with Ms. Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor-elect of the International Criminal Court. Serving with the ICC as Deputy Prosecutor since September 2004, Ms. Bensouda was elected Prosecutor as the consensus candidate on 12 December 2011. She will take over the ICC's Office of the Prosecutor upon the expiration of the mandate of the Court's first Prosecutor, Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo, in June 2012.

The Secretary-General warmly congratulated Ms. Bensouda on her election and wished her the best of success in her important new role. He underscored the vital significance of the Court as the indispensable centrepiece of our system of international criminal justice and our best hope of ending impunity for international crimes. The Secretary-General pledged to Ms. Bensouda the continued support and cooperation of the United Nations to assist the Court in fully achieving its great potential.