Meeting of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country
Statement delivered by Legal Adviser, Minister Counsellor Lars Bo Kirketerp Lund, Permanent Mission of Denmark on behalf of Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Portugal and Sweden
New York, 29 June 2026
Thank you, Chair
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the governments of Colombia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Portugal, Sweden and my own country Denmark.
At the outset, let me voice our support for the work of this Committee as an open and inclusive forum to discuss matters related to the implementation of the UN Headquarters Agreement.
Chair, we recall that the UN Security Council through resolution 1593 (2005) and resolution 1970 (2011) – and I quote – “invites the ICC Prosecutor to address the Security Council” on the situations in Darfur, Sudan, and Libya on a biannual basis. The Headquarters Agreement between the UN and the Host Country stipulates that – and I quote – “for any persons invited to the headquarters of the United Nations” visas “shall be granted as promptly as possible.”
The full and effective participation of the ICC Deputy Prosecutor in the respective sessions of the UN Security Council is crucial for addressing the grave violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law in these two situations, thereby facilitating our common work in this multilateral forum.
It is against this background that we express our concern that the Host Country has not issued a visa to the ICC Deputy Prosecutor with regard to the two latest briefings of the International Criminal Court to the UN Security Council.
We call upon the Host Country to issue the ICC Deputy Prosecutor the requisite visa in a timely fashion ahead of mandated briefings.
Thank you, Chair.