The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (“Mechanism”) is tasked with performing a number of essential functions previously carried out by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (“ICTR”) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (“ICTY”). In performing these essential functions, the Mechanism continues the legacy of these two pioneering ad hoc international criminal tribunals and strives to reflect best practices in international criminal justice.

The United Nations Security Council established the Mechanism on 22 December 2010 as a ‘small, temporary and efficient structure’. The Mechanism commenced operations on 1 July 2012 in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, and on 1 July 2013 in The Hague, Netherlands. The Arusha office took over the functions of the ICTR, and the Hague office those of the ICTY.

During its first years of existence, the Mechanism worked in parallel with the ICTR and the ICTY. After the closure of the ICTR (on 31 December 2015) and the ICTY (on 31 December 2017), the Mechanism continued to function as an independent institution.