 | | | | |  International Law & Human Rights |
| |  In 1989, Hon. A.N.R. Robinson, then Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and member of PGA, initiated the process within the United Nations to establish a permanent court to prosecute individuals who perpetrated international crimes as a means to prevent the commission of such crimes, end impunity and protect populations from the threat to peace that these crimes entail. Since then, PGA members under the PGA International Law and Human Rights Programme have worked towards overcoming political and technical obstacles to the realization of the anti-impunity mandate underpinning the Rome Statute of the ICC, adopted on 17 July 1998. PGA strives to do so by way of new ratifications and accessions to the Rome Statute from countries in all the regions of the world, and through the preparation and adoption of effective national legislation that incorporates the crimes of the Rome Statute into national law, thereby allowing full cooperation of States with the ICC. The PGA ICC Campaign also supports the mobilization of members of parliament to protect the integrity of the Rome Statute, ensure the enforcement of the decisions of the ICC, boost the international community's engagement to fighting impunity and reinforce the role of National systems in the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of international atrocities.
As of January 2010, the PGA ICC Campaign has contributed to the ratification of 65 out of 110 States Parties to the Rome Statute to the ICC, within a timeframe of 10 years.
On account of this Campaign, PGA is widely recognized as the parliamentary network working on international justice and the ICC (see, for example, the wikipedia webpage dedicated to PGA). The Presidencies of the ICC and of its Assembly of States Parties, as well as the Office of Prosecutor, have often referred to PGA as the network of policy-makers that manages "to do what the Court cannot do", i.e. to create a global parliamentary constituency for the ICC and rebut the often erroneous political arguments made in connection with the new system of international criminal justice centered around the ICC.
PGA is a founder and steering committee member of the Coalition of NGOs for the ICC. Since May 2008, PGA has joined the Campaign "Justice for Darfur" that aims at the effective enforcement of the arrest warrants issued against individuals that have allegedly committed international crimes in Darfur.
The European Commission is the main partner of the Campaign, while several governments and Parliaments also lend their support for the implementation of ongoing country-specific and regional activities.
Links:
About the Bi-Annual Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the ICC and the Rule of Law
Past Activities
Future Activities
Resources about the PGA ICC Campaign and the Rome Statute of the ICC
History of PGA work on the ICC since 1989
Programmes of the ILHRP:
- PGA ICC Campaign
- Fight against Impunity, the Rule of Law, Justice and Reconciliation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Human Rights of Persons in Detention (under preparation)
| Parliamentary Campaign for the Universality and Effectiveness of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
PGA is a network of 1300 members from 131 Parliaments around the globe who, in their individual capacity and using their prerogatives as law-makers, undertake initiatives to support the ICC and the rule of law. As of 1 January 2010, the different initiatives and activities of these MPs have contributed directly to 65 of the 110 ratifications/accessions to the Rome Statute of the ICC to date, including the most recent ones of Suriname, the Cook Islands, Chile and the Czech Republic
The work of PGA on the ICC was initiated in 1989 when the organisation embraced the initiative of one of its most prominent members, H.E. Mr. A.N.R. Robinson, MP, then Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, to support the establishment of a permanent international criminal court as he presented it at the UN General Assembly. PGA Members mobilized themselves in all regions of the world for almost a decade in support of this project, which culminated with the adoption of the Rome Statute of the ICC on 17 July 1998 by an overwhelming majority of UN Member States. Read more about the History of the work of PGA on the ICC 1989-today
The primary goals of PGA ICC Campaign are:
1) To promote universal participation in the ICC, by way of new ratifications and accessions to the Statute of States from all regions of the world;
2) To assist legislators in the preparation and adoption of effective national legislation to implement the Rome Statute in national systems, thus reinforcing the Rule of Law;
3) To protect the integrity of the Rome Statute, promote the enforcement of the decisions of the ICC and boost the international community's engagement to fighting impunity; and
4) To fight impunity in situations and cases not addressed by the ICC, by reforming, strengthening and financing adequately national justice mechanisms;
In order to achieve these objectives, PGA members take action on a country-by-country basis and in relevant regional, trans-regional and international institutions. The trans-regional and national mobilization of parliamentarians, supported by the PGA Secretariat, ensures accurate analyses on the different issues stalling the ICC process in different countries and the multi-partisan involvement of stakeholders to overcome these obstacles and challenges. The tailored initiatives and activities of the Campaign are structured in such a way so as to ensure cross-fertilization between international and country-specific activities. Our means for Action are to:
- Prepare, endorse and promote legislative initiatives on ratification/accession and/or implementation of the Rome Statute;
- Initiate parliamentary questions, motions, resolutions or statements in support of the fight against impunity and the prevention and punishment of atrocities;
- Coordinate and inspire actions of other national institutions and actors, such as national Human Rights Commissions, in cooperation with civil society and other actors;
- Provide information to actors working towards the same goal for more cost-effective and efficient actions in favour of the ICC;
- Hold sessions of the Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the ICC and the Rule of Law, and meetings of its Working Groups
- Participate in consultations and strategic meetings among members of parliament from one or several countries to identify and overcome on obstacles to the ratification/accession and/or implementation of the Rome Statute;
- Conduct visits of Members of Parliament (MPs) from Non-States Parties to the ICC Headquarters in The Hague, in cooperation with the relevant organs of the ICC, and other authorities,
- Engage in parliamentary mission of selected MPs from States Parties to Parliaments of Non-States Parties.
- Maintain within each other ongoing consultations and strategic analysis on the countries where PGA members are active.
- Undertake, when necessary, interventions in the media or public debates on the fight against impunity and/or the ICC.
PGA operates in 131 Parliaments in all regions of the world. The PGA Secretariat operates from its offices in New York and The Hague.
PGA is member of the Steering Committee of the Coalition of NGOs for an International Criminal Court (CICC). PGA also participates actively in the ongoing international campaign to increase support for the Court, in particular in enforcing outstanding ICC arrest warrants, and ensuring that the Review Conference of the Rome Statute of the ICC, slated to take place in 2010, will be a genuine success in reinforcing the important role of the ICC within the international peace and security system.
For more information about our activities please consult our
Resources and Micro-sites for each of our Past and Future activities
To learn about the History of PGA, please click here
The PGA ICC Campaign (2008-09) receives support from
the European Commission and the Governments of Belgium, The Netherlands
and Switzerland, and the national congress of the Dominican Republic
PGA receives core support from the Governments of Sweden and Denmark
The PGA Foundation receives support from the City of The Hague
PGA receives also the support of specific parliaments and governments where it implements its activities. In the past years, the International Law and Human Rights Programme has also received financial support from the Ford Foundation and the Governments of Canada and the United Kingdom.
International Law and Human Rights Programme / PGA ICC Campaign
Dr. David Donat-Cattin (Italy), Director-International Law/Human Rights, donat@pgaction.org (The Hague) Peter Barcroft (Ireland), Senior Programme Officer, barcroft@pgaction.org (New York) Deborah Ruiz Verduzco (Mexico), Senior Programme Officer, deborah.ruiz@pgaction.org (The Hague) Stefanie Kueng (Switzerland), Programme Associate, Stefanie@pgaction.org (New York) Eloi Urwodhi, Consultant, Eloi.Urwodhi@pgaction.org (DRC-Kinshasa) Ivar Scheers, Intern, Intern1.denhaag@pgaction.org (The Hague)
Contacts:
PGA Headquarters 211 E 43rd St. Suite 1604 New York, NY 10017, USA Tel. +1.212.687.8855 Fax: +1.212.687.8409 PGA Foundation Laan van Meerdervoort 70 2517 AN, The Hague, Netherlands Tel. +31.70.360.44.33 / Fax. +31.70.364.22.55 / Mob. +31.62.331.8581 [Updated: January 2010] |
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