On 30 August 2011, the Government of Philippines formally deposited its instrument of accession to the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with the Office of the United Nations Secretary‑General. Philippines’s ratification of the treaty establishing the ICC brings the total number of States Parties to 117.
Statement by Alison Smith, Legal Counsel of No Peace Without Justice:
“No Peace Without Justice and the Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty (NRPTT) congratulate the Philippines for this very important step, which concludes a lengthy and complex legislative process that has involved sustained commitment from all levels of Philippine society, from civil society and media to parliamentarians and government officials. We acknowledge and applaud the dedication of civil society and government actors in the Philippines, which has played a pivotal role in bringing us to this day.
“The Philippines’ decision to join the other fifteen Asian countries that have already accessed to the Rome Statute demonstrates their clear commitment to justice and the rule of law. It also represents a step forward in the Southern Asia region towards the goal of universal support for ending impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We very much hope that other Asian States will draw inspiration from the Philippines’ example and ratify the ICC Statute, which would ensure more active participation of those States and the region more generally in the Assembly of States Parties and in the work of the ICC itself.
“Now that the Philippines have ratified the Rome Statute, they must ensure that they have in place appropriate procedures to enable them to cooperate fully with the Court and to fulfil their complementarity obligations. A next important step will be acceding to the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Court and we urge the Philippines to do so without delay. We look forward to the Philippines adopting the necessary implementing legislation as soon as possible, further solidifying their commitment to the victims of crimes under international law and to justice as an integral part of peace.”
For further information, please contact Alison Smith, phone +32-(0)2-548-3912, email asmith@npwj.org or Nicola Giovannini, phone +32-(0)2-548-3915, email ngiovannini@npwj.org
