ICC President addresses United Nations General Assembly to present Court’s annual report
On 31 October 2022, the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Piotr Hofmański, addressed the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to present the Court's annual report, detailing its activities, ongoing cases and reparations processes, as well discussing current challenges and cooperation needs.
The ICC President emphasised the Court’s “unprecedented workload”: in addition to three new investigations opened in the last 12 months, increasing the number of open situations to 17, the Court has four ongoing trials and another five cases are at the victim reparations stage, also an all-time high.
The President highlighted that, through the participation of victims in proceedings, reparation processes and comprehensive outreach programmes, “[t]he ICC invests a great deal of time, energy and resources into making the victim-centred vision of justice a reality,”. “More than 21,000 individual victims have formally participated in ICC proceedings so far. Close to 3,000 individual victims have received court-ordered reparations, and this number is rising all the time as implementation progresses. And almost a hundred thousand individuals have directly benefitted from projects of the Trust Fund for Victims under its assistance mandate,” he said. In that context, the President appealed to all States to make donations to the Trust Fund for Victims to support its crucial work. “Without sufficient funds, we risk failing the expectations of victims. We must not allow that to happen,” he added.
In his address, President Hofmański recalled the complementarity of the Court’s mandate with the proceedings of national jurisdictions: “It is important that the ICC remains available as a court of last resort, when justice cannot for whatever reason be delivered domestically. […] The ICC is an avenue for justice when other avenues do not exist, or they are blocked,” he stated, adding that the Court is proud to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 16 of the UN’s Agenda 2030 “by helping to reduce violence, by supporting the rule of law and strong institutions – and by enhancing victims’ access to justice”.
The President stressed the need for more States to support the Court, while praising the commitment of the Court’s 123 States Parties: “By electing to join the Statute, those 123 States have obtained legal protection against the gravest atrocities, they have shown solidarity with victims worldwide, they have demonstrated commitment to the rule of law at the international level, and they have become active participants in shaping the Rome Statute system from the inside. I call upon all other States to follow that path, in the interest of humanity, the international community as a whole, and, last but not least, for their own benefit.”
“Joining a treaty is, naturally, a sovereign decision for each country. […] At the same time, I strongly believe that each country should give the matter very serious consideration. All people should have access to justice, regardless of their gender, religion or ethnicity,” the President stated.
Closing his address, the President thanked the United Nations for its crucial support and wide-ranging assistance to the Court, under the leadership of the Secretary-General: “[W]e are grateful to work hand in hand with the United Nations for the rule of law and the protection of human rights. […] Global cooperation and a rules-based international order are key to addressing the gravest threats facing humankind.”
ICC President Speech to the United Nations General Assembly – 31 October 2022
Annual report of the International Criminal Court to the United Nations General Assembly
For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: [email protected].
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