The twenty-second session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened today at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States. The session is scheduled from 4 to 14 December 2023.
At this session, States Parties to the Rome Statute, observer States, invited States, international and regional organizations and representatives from civil society will discuss key challenges facing the Statute. States Parties will also adopt resolutions on important issues pertaining to the functioning of the Court and the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV), including on their respective budgets and on cooperation. States will also elect six new ICC judges.
H.E. Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, President of the Assembly of States Parties, stressed that “Universality is essential for the effectiveness and legitimacy of the Rome Statute system. The Court is a last resort institution, but it can only contribute to the emergent global system of justice if it indeed has the potential to intervene in all situations equally. Striving for universality is a shared responsibility of the Court and the Assembly.”
The President of the Court, judge Piotr Hofmański, underlined the paramount importance of the ICC’s independence in his remarks: “This is a fundamental value which must not only be respected, but actively safeguarded at all times. The whole point of having a court, a judicial body, is to have an independent, impartial arbiter to apply the law which the legislators – in this case States – have adopted”, he stated.
ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC said: “There are too many people around the world who believe the law is not for them, that it is incapable or unwilling to provide them protection. Through this Assembly of States Parties, through the ongoing work my Office is endeavouring to make our work more impactful, more agile on the ground, let us collectively show that we can vindicate the rights of all under the Rome Statute. To do this, we must work together, across all actors. Now is a critical moment to show the law can protect all.”
The Chair of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims, Minou Tavárez Mirabal, stated that “although reparative justice for victims through the ICC system is a huge challenge for us all, it is a process that is now well underway. Reparation programme in the Katanga case is now complete. I’m also pleased to announce a 35% increase in voluntary contributions by States Parties mobilised for reparations and other programmes for the benefit of victims in 7 situations countries in 2023. The Trust Fund for Victims counts on the continued financial and political support of States Parties to face together the opportunities for reparative justice for the benefit of victims of Rome Statute crimes.”
At its first meeting, on 4 December 2023, the Assembly elected Ambassador H.E. Päivi Kaukoranta (Finland) as President of the Assembly for the twenty-third to twenty-fifth sessions. It also elected Ambassador H.E. Margareta Kassangana (Poland) and Ambassador H.E. Michael Imran Kanu (Sierra Leone) as its Vice-Presidents. The following States Parties were elected to the Bureau of the Assembly for this period: Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, Cyprus, Ecuador, Finland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, New Zealand, Poland, Republic of Korea, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland and Uganda.
The ICC, governed by the Rome Statute, is the world’s first permanent, treaty-based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, and the crime of aggression. In accordance with article 112 of the Rome Statute, the Assembly is the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC. It is composed of representatives of the States that have ratified and acceded to the Rome Statute.
Report on the Activities of the International Criminal Court
ICC-ASP/22/22 – English
Report to the Assembly of States Parties on the projects and the activities of the Board of directors of the Trust Fund for victims for the period 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022
ICC-ASP/21/14 – English
Eighth election of judges of the International Criminal Court
ICC-ASP/22/2 – English | Español | Français
Relevant Documentation for the 22nd ASP session
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