US Ambassador, in UN Security Council, Highlights Important Role of ICC in Ending Impuntiy

Today in the United Nations Security Council, Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo, United States Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, made a statement on behalf of the US at a debate on International Criminal Justice and Rule of Law. In it, she highlighted the important role of the International Criminal Court in promoting the rule of law:

One key way in which the international community has signaled that impunity for the most serious crimes will not be tolerated is the creation of international and mixed tribunals, as well as commissions of inquiry and fact-finding mechanisms. Active support by all states for international and mixed tribunals is crucial. We have supported these international accountability mechanisms across the globe, from the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia to commissions of inquiry in places like Kyrgyzstan, Cote d'Ivoire, and Libya. In this regard, the International Criminal Court can play an important role in contributing to the fight against impunity.

The United States supported the UN Security Council's ICC referral regarding Libya, and we are helping to ensure that those charged by the Court there face justice consistent with international standards. Although the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, over the past several years we have sent observer delegations to the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) sessions and the Review Conference in Kampala. In December, we cosponsored a high-level panel at the ASP to highlight the importance of ensuring protection for witnesses and judicial officers. We have engaged with the Office of the Prosecutor and the Registrar to consider ways to support specific prosecutions already underway, and we have responded positively to a number of informal requests for assistance.