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INTERNATIONAL LAW AND JUSTICE | ASP Meets for Fifth Session

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan Hails ICC During 5th ASP

On November 24th, in the opening session of the ICC's Fifth Annual Assembly of States Parties Meeting in The Hague, ICC Chief Judge and President, Philippe Kirsch, read an official statement by United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan. In his statement, Mr. Annan hailed the progress of the ICC and said, “Few could have expected that by 2006, a fully operational entity would have initiated its first trials, an Office of the Prosecutor would be prosecuting or investigating multiple situations, there would be a Security Council referral, and the Court would have issued its first warrants of arrest.” In March 2005, the UN Security Council referred the situation in Sudan's Darfur region to the ICC, with the U.S. abstaining from the vote.

In addressing the growing prominence of the Court in the area of international law and justice, Mr. Annan said, “the Court has established itself as the centerpiece of a truly international system of criminal justice. And it has become both the embodiment of, and the driving force behind, a profound evolution of international norms and law...This year Chad, the Comoros, Montenegro and Saint Kitts and Nevis have ratified the Rome Statute, taking the total number of ratifications now to 104” - a sign , Mr. Annan said, that “the Court is moving closer to its ultimate goal of universal jurisdiction.”

While the ICC is wholly independent of the U.N., a Relationship Agreement ensuring full cooperation between the U.N. and the ICC was adopted and entered into force on October 4, 2004. To that end, Mr. Annan noted that “the fact that the first ever witness before the Chambers of the Court in pre-trial proceedings is a UN official again reflects our strong commitment to ending impunity and aiding the ICC’s work." Stressing the Court's autonomy from the U.N. and the critical role that State Parties must play vis-à-vis the ICC, Mr. Annan added, "cooperation and assistance from the United Nations can, however, only be a secondary resort. The most important and primary support must come from you, the States Parties to the Rome Statute. It is your continued assistance and involvement that will determine the Court's lasting success."

The ASP is the legislative body that oversees the progress and mandate of the ICC. It is comprised of representatives of countries that have joined the Court. The Assembly's fifth session commenced on November 23rd and will end on December 1st. Key items on the agenda include the crime of aggression, the Strategic Plan, and the Victim's Trust Fund.

+ READ ABOUT THE FIFTH SESSION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF STATE PARTIES
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+ READ LATEST NEWS PIECE: OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTOR HAS ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO IDENTIFY PERPETRATORS IN DARFUR

Updated December 11, 2006

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