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PGA’s vision is to contribute to the creation of a Rules-Based International Order for a more equitable, safe, sustainable and democratic world.

Vanuatu and the Rome Statute

Vanuatu deposited its instrument of accession to the Rome Statute on 2 December 2011.

Government type:

Parliamentary republic

Objectives:

  • Implementation of the Rome Statute

  • Accession to APIC

  • Ratification of Kampala Amendments

Status

  • Rome Statute: Acceded on 02 Dec 2011

  • APIC: not signed or acceded

  • Amendments to the RS: none

  • BNSA: signed on 21 March 2003; entered into force 24 March 2004

  • Voluntary Agreements with the ICC: None

Background:

At the Pacific Outreach Round Table in Sydney, on 16 February 2012, Ms Jenny Tevi (Senior Desk Officer, Treaties and Conventions Division, Department of Foreign Affairs, Vanuatu) indicated that its legislative drafting process would start by the preparation of a policy paper seeking approval from the Council of Ministers to commence the preparation of implementing legislation. The Legal Drafting Unit would then be provided with drafting instructions and would commence work on draft legislation. She further stated that Vanuatu would appreciate assistance with the drafting process.

ASP
Vanuatu attended the ASP for the first time in 2016. The Minister of Justice and Community Services, Ronald K Wasal, delivered a statement in which he expressed the support for the ICC and encouraged extension of the ICC`s outreach to the Asia-Pacific Islands, in particular to those that are not yet State parties to the RS.

Potential obstacles towards full implementation of the Rome Statute and ratification of the Kampala Amendments

As identified in the other Pacific Islands States, the fundamental impediment towards full implementation of the RS or ratification of the Kampala Amendments might be a lack of capacity to draft the legislation. Vanuatu has expressed on several occasion its eagerness to further the process of implementation of the RS, but explicitly asked for assistance with the drafting process.

Status of the Rome Statute System as of February 2024:

 
States that have ratified the Rome Statute [124]
 
States that have signed the Rome Statute but have not ratified it yet [30]
 
States that have withdrawn from the Rome Statute [2]
 
States that have neither signed nor ratified the Rome Statute
 

124 countries are States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Of these, 33 are African States, 19 are Asia-Pacific States, 19 are from Eastern Europe, 28 are from Latin American and Caribbean States, and 25 are from Western European and other States.

Work of PGA in this Country:

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly has been, since the establishment of the International Criminal Court, a forum for political support to the recognition of the important development for peace and international justice.

African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly

The ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly was created to bring together the members of the European Parliament and the elected representatives of the ACP countries that have signed the Cotonou Agreement.

Pacific Islands States Commit to Advancing International Criminal Justice

Pacific Islands States Commit to Advancing International Criminal Justice

On 31 May 2019, more than 40 members of parliament, government representatives, and senior diplomats convened at a strategic high-level event in Vanuatu, to promote the advancement of international criminal justice in the Pacific Islands region.

Mrs. Barbara Lochbihler

17th Assembly of States Parties of the ICC

From 5 to 12 December 2018, delegations from States Parties, observer States, international and regional organizations, and civil society gathered at the World Forum in The Hague, Netherlands, for the 17th Session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP).

The purpose of this second Consultation was to review current ratification and implementation processes of the Rome Statute in a number of countries in the region, including in particular, in Malaysia.

Second PGA Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Consultation on the Universality of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

Following on from the First PGA Asian Consultation on the ICC held in the House of Representatives in The Philippines four years ago, the purpose of this second Consultation was to review current ratification and implementation processes of the Rome Statu

Publication

Parliamentary Kit on the International Criminal Court
Parliamentary Kit on the International Criminal Court

Parliamentary Kit on the International Criminal Court

It is imperative that the Rome Statute be ratified universally for the successful functioning of the Court. Parliamentarians should ensure that the ICC is truly universal.

Description

Created by the Rome Statute, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the first permanent and independent international court capable of investigating and bringing to justice individuals who commit the most serious violations of international criminal law, international humanitarian law, and human rights.

The Rome Statute defines the crimes under the Court’s jurisdiction and provides the general principles and procedures for the operation of the Court. It also outlines the cooperation obligations of its State Parties. It is imperative that the Rome Statute be ratified universally for the successful functioning of the Court. Parliamentarians should ensure that the ICC is truly universal.

PDF(s)

Additional Details

  • Publication Type: Toolkit
  • Author(s): Parliamentarians for Global Action

Publication

Handbook for Parliamentarians: National Nomination of Judicial Candidates for the International Criminal Court (ICC)
Handbook for Parliamentarians: National Nomination of Judicial Candidates for the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Handbook for Parliamentarians: National Nomination of Judicial Candidates for the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Description

The ICC is the first and only permanent independent court with the mandate to investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for committing international crimes, namely genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Its 18 judges from around the world, elected for a nine-year term, play a key role in ensuring this expectation is lived up to through their primary mandate to render authoritative and high-quality jurisprudence and guarantee fair trials.

Therefore, the quality of the judges has fundamental importance to the performance, efficiency, and effectiveness of the ICC, which is at the heart of the long-term success of the ICC and the Rome Statute system as a whole. In this handbook, PGA sets forth specific criteria and recommendations for Parliamentarians to encourage their governments to improve national nomination procedures for ICC judicial candidates and adopt good practices and requirements to ensure these processes are fair, transparent, and merit-based. The goal of robust nomination procedures is to ensure that only candidate judges or jurists of the highest caliber make it on the ballot.

PDF(s)

Additional Details

  • Publication Type: Handbook
  • Author(s): Parliamentarians for Global Action

Publication

Handbook: Ratification and Implementation of the Kampala Amendments on the Crime of Aggression to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
Handbook: Ratification and Implementation of the Kampala Amendments on the Crime of Aggression to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

Handbook: Ratification and Implementation of the Kampala Amendments on the Crime of Aggression to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

Description

It is our honor and privilege to present to you the Third Edition of the Handbook on the Ratification and Implementation of the Kampala Amendments on the Crime of Aggression to the Rome Statute of the ICC.

It is the product of our collaborative effort aimed at assisting States in ratifying the amendments adopted by consensus in Kampala and helping criminalize the most serious forms of the illegal use of force.

PDF(s)

Additional Details

  • Publication Type: Handbook
  • Author(s): Permanent Mission of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the United Nations; Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression; Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at Princeton University (LISD); (Drafting Assistance by PGA)