International Criminal Court

Assembly of States Parties

Sixth Session

8^th Meeting (AM)

discussions on ‘crime of aggression’ continue as states parties to rome statute

of International Criminal court begin resumed session

 

Representatives of the States making up the management oversight and legislative body of the International Criminal Court began their resumed sixth session at United Nations Headquarters today, set to reopen discussions on the “crime of aggression”.

Opening the resumed sixth session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court, which runs through 6 June, Bruno Stagno Ugarte (Costa Rica), its President, said that since the Statute’s entry into force in 2002, the Court had become the international community’s established reference in the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes known to mankind.  Now, almost 10 years on, the Court could count on the support and commitment of 106 States parties, and was in a position to carry out its mandate.

As the world’s only permanent tribunal, the International Criminal Court tries persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.  The Assembly of States parties comprises representatives of the States that have ratified and acceded to the Court’s founding Rome Statute.  Each State party is represented by a delegate proposed to the Assembly’s Credential Committee by its respective Head of State or Government, or Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Today, the Assembly adopted the provisional agenda for its resumed session (document ICC-ASP/6/27) and decided to include an additional item, at the Court’s request, regarding the approval of a transfer of funds to cover the disability pension of a former judge, found last August to be unable to continue his duties due to permanent ill health.  (For further details on this matter, see documents ICC-ASP/6/INF.6 and ICC-ASP/5/24/Rev.1 and Add.1).

Also today, the President informed the Assembly that the following States were in arrears in the payment of their financial contributions to the Court and would be unable to vote during the session:  Bolivia; Burundi; Central African Republic; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Dominican Republic; Guinea; Marshall Islands; Nauru; Niger; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and Sierra Leone.  He appealed to all States to make their assessed contributions available to the Court in full and on time, and those in arrears to settle their accounts as soon as possible.

The President also announced that the bulk of the Assembly’s work over the rest of the week would be devoted to the continuing discussions of its Special Working Group on the Crime of Aggression, which would be chaired by the President-elect, Christian Wenaweser (Lichtenstein).  (For further information on the crime of aggression and the work of the Special Working Group, see document ICC-ASP/6/SWGCA/2).

In other business this morning, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein of Jordan, Chairman of the Credentials Committee, presented that body’s interim report.

The Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute will next meet in plenary at 11:45 a.m. on Friday, 6 June.

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For information media • not an official record