On 12-13 October, PGA organised a visit of members of Parliament from Ghana and Uganda to the Hague. During the visit, the delegation, composed of 10 Parliamentarians and two staff members, had the opportunity to directly interact with senior ICC officials, officials of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), members of the diplomatic community, representatives of other international institutions, and parliamentary peers in the Dutch legislature. The objectives of the visit were to:

• Generate a space for dialogue to provide clear information on the ICC’s mandate and clarify any existing concerns on the implementation of the Rome Statute;
• Improve understanding about the importance of implementing the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and about international justice;
• Foster conversations about the role of parliamentarians in reaffirming, strengthening, and protecting human rights and the rule of law in line with the UN Development Agenda 2030.

The delegation consisted of:

• Hon. Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi (MP, Ghana) – Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee and Leader of the Delegation
• Hon. Bernard Ahiafor (MP, Ghana) – Ranking Member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee
• Hon. Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh (MP, Ghana) – Member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee
• Hon. Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah (MP, Ghana) – Member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee
• Hon. Mahama Ayariga (MP, Ghana) – Member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee
• Hon. Francisca OtengMensah (MP, Ghana) –Member of the Women’s Caucus
• Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey (MP, Ghana) – Member of the Women’s Caucus
• Hon. Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa (MP, Ghana) – Member of the Youth Caucus
• Hon. Elvis Morris Donkoh (MP, Ghana) – President of the Youth Caucus
• Hon. Fox Odoi-Oywelowo (MP, Uganda) – Chairman of the Human Rights Committee
• Mr. Magnus Kofi Amoatey (Ghana) – Parliamentary Counsel
• Ms. Akua Duruwaa Owusu-Agyemang (Ghana) – Clerk to the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee

Through fruitful exchanges with principals and senior officials at the International Criminal Court (ICC), consultations with representatives of international organisations based in The Hague, and bilateral interactions with Dutch parliamentarians, the delegation firmly committed to the cause of international justice and the rule of law.

The delegation was welcomed by ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmański, who shared insight into the evolution of international criminal law and the origins and paramount necessity of the ICC. Senior representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor explained the work and mandate of the Office, while representatives of the Registry explored modalities for cooperation and discussed in-depth the principle of complementarity based on respect for the primary jurisdiction of States. Through the interactive discussion that followed, the delegation had an opportunity to pose questions relating to the ICC’s jurisdiction, the challenges it faces, learn further about the victims’ participation and understand the ways in which they can support the ICC’s integrity. The parliamentarians also had the opportunity to view a Court proceeding on Al Mahdi case and get acquainted in a detail with the proceedings on the victims’ reparation.

The delegation visited the ICJ, where they took a tour around the Court’s premises. Afterwards, they were provided with a thorough explanation of the Court’s recent cases and the most important achievements of the ICJ up to date.

The delegation also met with representatives the Senate of The Netherlands. The Chair of the Dutch PGA National Group, Senator Boris Dittrich, organised a meeting where the discussions touched upon not only the implementation of the Rome Statute, but also pressing human rights issues, including a highly debated “Family values Bill” introduced at the Parliament which undermined the rights of the LGBTI persons.

The Delegation was also officially welcomed by the Focal Point on the Universality, the Ambassador of the Netherlands, who strongly appreciated the Delegation’s commitment to international justice. During the interactive discussions, the Delegation posed a variety of questions to the Ambassador on the ICC and its jurisdictional scope.

PGA Secretariat also organized a session on the implementing legislation, where the staff members guided the Parliamentarians through the provisions of the draft implementing legislation on both complementarity and cooperation. Following this constructive meeting, where the Parliamentarians were posing concrete questions to clarify the scope of the provisions, the members of the delegation reiterated their commitment to advancing the implementing legislation and submitting a resolution to the Parliament on the adoption of all Amendments to the Rome Statute.

The visit resulted in a visible increase of the Parliamentarian’s knowledge of the ICC, the scope of implementing legislation and of the Amendments to the Rome Statute. It has further reinforced their commitment to strengthening their legal framework relating to international crimes and serious human rights violations - both within and outside the Rome Statute system.