Marking 17 July 2024, the Day of International Criminal Justice, the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Tomoko Akane, and ICC First Vice-President, Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala, participated in meetings and events at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Both participated as speakers in a 17 July panel discussion, hosted by the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), entitled "Truth, Memory and Justice: Engaging victims of mass atrocities in international criminal justice".
During the discussion, ICC President Akane stated: "The foundation of the Court's mandate is indeed that the rule of law must prevail even in difficult circumstances. Our only guidance is the applicable law, which is first and foremost the Rome Statute, made by the wisdom of humankind and for protecting humanity. Everyone is equal before the law and no person is above the law."
She continued: "In line with this, we intend to work to bring justice to the victims of the atrocities, by carrying out fair and impartial criminal proceedings against individuals who are alleged to have committed crimes under the jurisdiction of the Rome Statute."
The panel, moderated by the President of the Assembly of States Parties, Ms Päivi Kaukoranta, included two additional panelists: ASP Vice-President Mr Michael Imran Kanu and Mr Pablo de Greiff, Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence. Ambassadors, NGOs and observers participated in the panel discussion which ended with a Q and A session, during which the panellists took several questions from the participants.
ICC President Akane, together with ASP President Kaukoranta, also opened the ICC exhibition "Common Bonds" in the public lobby of the United Nations. The exhibition displays stories of survivors from all 17 situations in which the ICC has launched investigations, and spotlights personal stories of victims who received Court-ordered reparations from the ICC, implemented through the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV), to help rebuild their lives.
ICC President Akane remarked, "The pictures and narratives around us are a powerful reminder of why the ICC must continue to fulfil its mandate with full vigour and a victim-oriented approach."
The New York display of the exhibition, produced by the ICC in collaboration with the Trust Fund for Victims, remains on display at the United Nations from 17 July to 23 August. An online version of the exhibition was also launched on the ICC website to mark 17 July.
In the margins of the events marking the Day of International Criminal Justice, ICC President Akane held a number of other meetings in New York aimed at promoting universality within the Asia-Pacific region, global support and cooperation for the ICC. In addition, the President and Vice-President held bilateral meetings with permanent representatives of States Parties and the European Union and addressed the New York Working Group of the Assembly of States Parties.
Background: 17 July 2024 is the Day of International Criminal Justice, which marks the 26th anniversary of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Adopted on 17 July 1998, the Rome Statute is the ICC's founding treaty, ratified by 124 countries. The ICC is the first permanent international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression.
