Ministerial side-event
“The ICC and the Crime of Aggression: In Defense of the UN Charter”
Statement delivered by Mr Andres Parmas, Prosecutor General of Estonia
17 July 2023
Let me start by thanking Dominique Hasler, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein and Annalena Baerbock, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany for their remarks as well as all the panelists for their statements. Estonia is proud to be amongst the co-sponsors of today’s important event.
Today we celebrate the International Criminal Justice Day marking the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute and the 5th anniversary of the activation of the ICC’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression.
The ICC, since its establishment, has played a vital role in the maintenance of rules based international order and in ensuring accountability for the most serious crimes, wherever and by whoever committed.
The international community must put a special emphasis on ensuring justice and accountability for atrocity crimes, including the crime of aggression, wherever committed. If we do not respond decisively to these crimes, the sovereignty and equality of all States is under threat.
While Estonia was fifth to ratify the Kampala amendments, regrettably, so far only 45 states altogether have ratified these amendments. States are not doing and not committing enough to prevent the crime of aggression.
As the ICC does not have jurisdiction over the crime of aggression in Ukraine and there is an impasse in the Security Council, the international community should find the political will to establish a special mechanism to prosecute for crime of aggression because this crime is of concern to the international community as a whole.
Meanwhile, Estonia strongly believes that it is crucial that States meaningfully start working towards amending the Rome Statute so that the ICC would have jurisdiction over the crime of aggression on similar grounds as over other atrocity crimes stipulated in the Rome Statute. Until then, States should take all possible steps to ratify the Rome Statute and its amendments.
I have seen both in my work as a Prosecutor General of Estonia and in my work with the Trust Fund for Victims what the atrocity crimes and the crime of aggression can do to people and societies. Justice must be delivered to the victims and States must do their part to empower the ICC so that it can meaningfully fulfil its important mandate.Thank you.