The symposium was a direct follow-up to a high-level study visit by prosecutors from Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius and South Africa to The Hague in April 2026. Representatives from Botswana and Zambia also participated, further enriching the exchange of experiences and expertise.

The meeting brought together practitioners from the International Criminal Court, civil society organisations The Sentry and REDRESS, and the Swedish, Dutch and British war crimes units. Participants concluded that financial investigations can generate both lead information and evidence for the investigation and prosecution of core international crimes.

These investigations can also assist in identifying, tracing, freezing and recovering assets, including for the purpose of individual and collective reparations benefiting victims and survivors most affected by the crimes in question. Participants also stressed that, ideally, financial investigations should form part of investigations from the outset rather than being treated as secondary.