On 17 June 2016, Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson, Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations, deposited at the United Nations in New York the Iceland`s Instrument of Ratification of the Amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), adopted in Kampala in 2010. Iceland thereby accepted to bind its nationals and territory to the prohibition of the use of certain weapons in armed conflicts not of an international character, as well as to the criminalization of acts of aggression arising from the gravest forms of unlawful use of force in international relations.

Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), a network of over 1300 Lawmakers from all regions of the world committed to human rights and the Rule of Law, welcomes this important contribution to strengthening the international legal framework to guarantee international peace and security and the territorial integrity and political independence of States, as well as to respect fundamental human rights and International Humanitarian Law.

A war tanker

Iceland, which deposited its instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute on 25 May 2000, has now become the 29th State of the world that ratified the Kampala Amendments on the crime of aggression. This is an important step towards the goal of achieving the 30 ratifications needed by 2017, when the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) will decide on the activation of the jurisdiction of the ICC over aggression. The prohibition of aggression is a norm of jus cogens, a peremptory and non-derogable norm of International Law, alongside the prohibitions of genocide, crimes against humanity and (large-scale) war crimes, which are also peremptory norms affirmed in the Nuremberg jurisprudence and principles right after World War II. These are the four ‘core’ crimes under International Law listed in Article 5 of the Rome Statute, which form part of the subject-matter jurisdiction of the first permanent international criminal jurisdiction, the ICC. While the ICC has operational jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes since 1 July 2002, date of the entry into force of the Statute, the jurisdiction on the crime of aggression may be activated in 2017.

Selected Statements:

Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland, Former Member of the Board and President of PGA
I am proud of my country’s decision, which illustrates its commitment to international justice and the strong role of the Rule of Law. I would like to call on all States that have not yet done so, to continue ratifying the Kampala Amendments in order to not only reach the milestone of 30 ratifications necessary for the activation of the Amendments but also to demonstrate the respect for the territorial integrity of States and peace and security around the world. I hope that my country’s step in this direction will serve as an inspiration to all the States to take the initiative and join the group of countries that are sending a strong message that the illegal use of force has no role in international relations and those who launch aggressive wars shall be held accountable.”

Ms. Barbara Lochbihler, MEP European Parliament (Germany), PGA Member

I strongly applaud Iceland`s ratification of the Kampala Amendments. By ratifying the Kampala Amendments, Iceland has contributed to enhancing the global fight against impunity and attained a major step forward in building accountability for the commission of the most serious and dangerous form of the illegal use of force. This crucial step represents an important contribution to ensuring the activation of the jurisdiction of the ICC over the crime of aggression and to securing the strengthening and the universality of the Rome Statute.  Activating the Court’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression will make the Court a more powerful institution, reaffirming the promise of “never again” contained in the Nuremberg judgement after World War II.

Dip. Clemente Barrios Monges (Paraguay), PGA Member

The deposit by Iceland of the Kampala Amendments arrives at a time where the world faces numerous military conflicts and, as such, highlights the importance of criminalising the aggressive use of force. It also demonstrates the increasing relevance of the ICC and the necessity to operationalize its jurisdiction over this serious crime. I am hopeful that my country will be soon in a position to ratify the Kampala Amendments to demonstrate our strong commitment to the Rule of Law, peace and justice. To attain this objective, Paraguay, with the cooperation of Parliamentarians for Global Action, is going to host Consultations on the Implementation of the Rome Statute in July, with the objective to accelerate the process of the ratification of the Kampala Amendments and show Paraguay`s support for the Court.

Dip. Jorge Calix (Honduras), PGA Member

I congratulate Iceland on ratifying the Kampala Amendments and bringing the international community closer to the achievement of the threshold for the activation of this important jurisdiction. My country is currently actively working on the ratification of the Kampala Amendments on the crime of aggression. I am convinced that the ratification creates a deterrent effect and plays a crucial role in preventing the future commission of these crimes by ensuring that those responsible will be held accountable. Therefore, I sincerely hope that we will be soon in a position to follow the Iceland`s example and criminalise the acts of aggression, which represents a serious breach of international peace and security.

About PGA

Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) is the largest transnational network of members of parliament from all regions of the world that, in their personal capacity, support the effective functioning of the ICC and national courts to end impunity for crimes of international law. The PGA network is assisted by a Secretariat to facilitate cooperation between member-parliamentarians with the view of realizing the vision of the Organization, namely “to contribute to the creation of a Rules-Based International Order for a more equitable, safe, and democratic world”. The Secretariat also provides technical assistance, and policy and legal advice to members.

PGA members have contributed to 77 over 124 ratifications or accessions to the Rome Statute as of today. PGA is a member of the Steering Committee of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC).