Coalition for the International Criminal Court

Statement by William Pace, Convenor, Coalition for the International Criminal Court at the Final Plenary of the Fourth Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

3 December 2005

The Coalition for the International Criminal Court, a global network and campaign of more than 2000 non-governmental organizations of global civil society, in all regions and in around 150 countries, welcomes the constructive achievements and improved atmosphere of the 4th session. Our many issue teams, regional and sectoral caucuses have been preparing for this ASP for months. We deeply appreciate our consultative role and valuable and efficient arrangements that the ASP Secretariat and the ICC have established with the CICC.

The Coalition celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and all in this room I am sure are aware of the extraordinary, many say historic, achievements of this intergovernmental process in the last decade.

We now look forward to the next 10 years and hope that the states and the ICC will elevate their vision further; setting the goals of universal ratification and the universal adoption of national cooperation and implementation legislation as an indispensable goal of the Assembly. With the issuance of the first arrest warrants, we believe there is increased urgency for States Parties to dramatically increase their commitment to cooperate with the ICC.

Intelligence agencies, regional experts, human rights and humanitarian agencies, peace-building actors, good governance institutions, rule of law projects and various other departments or programs of State Parties should contribute to ensuring the success of the ICC. We hope more governments will consider the ‘task force’ approach to developing and implementing State support for the ICC.

We remind the ASP that protecting the integrity of the Rome Statute will be a constant challenge, and the ASP, as the custodian of the Rome Statute, bears the greatest responsibility.

We welcome very much the statements of many governments that no state should be forced to enter into a bi-lateral agreement with any nation that is inconsistent with the Rome Statute and international law.

It is unacceptable that some small states, in resisting illegal bilateral agreements have, in effect, made greater financial sacrifices to support the ICC treaty than even the largest contributors to the ICC budget.

We welcome the strong spirit of compromise that resulted in the adoption of important agreements on various regulations of the ICC and ASP. The CICC is committed to the principle that if NGOs cannot support a proposal we should make every effort to provide alternatives, as we did regarding the code of conduct for counsel.

We are especially supportive of the improvements in both extending the duration of ASP sessions and in the commitment to improve working methods of the Bureau and Assembly.

We hope the extension of time will allow the ASP to integrate many of the excellent issues discussed in side events and dialogues in the last 3 years into the formal agenda of the ASP – such as policy discussions about the ICC and the UN, outreach or implementation legislation.

In relation to the United Nations, the CICC has issued a statement to states parties strongly encouraging them to ensure that the next UN Secretary General has a demonstrated commitment to international law and justice including strong support for the Rome statute and the ICC.

We greatly appreciate the continued leadership and dedication shown by the Friends groupings of the ICC at UN HQ in NY and in The Hague. The enhanced working methods of the ASP will complement these informal groupings and make them more effective.We appreciate the rights we have been given as observers and the ASP’s willingness to treat us as important stakeholders in the Assembly.

Mr. President, the CICC looks forward to discussing with all of the States Parties and the ICC the content of the strategic plan you have requested. We reiterate that the ASP and individual States Parties should also consider developing a strategic plan for its work – whether it is in the need for careful preparation for the Review Conference, or in developing a definition for the Crime of Aggression, or in creating formal mechanisms for addressing long term ASP issues in the next 10 years. International justice is the least expensive and the one sector that contributes to the entire breadth of the peace and security spectrum – deterrence, prevention, reduction, settlement, peace-building, reconciliation and transformation.

The ICC has been ratified by over half of the world’s nations, the overwhelming majority of the world’s democracies, to put an end to impunity, to prosecute those who commit the worst crimes against humanity and international law. The Coalition and its members are committed to not allow the horrific crimes of the last century to be repeated in this new century. The stakes are incredibly high.

About the Coalition for the International Criminal Court

The Coalition for the International Criminal Court is a network of over 2,000 civil society organizations working to promote a fair, effective and independent International Criminal Court. UNPO is part of the CICC.

For more information on the CICC; visit: www.iccnow.org