Achieving universality of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is pivotal for putting an end to impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern as well as reinforcing the ICC’s legitimacy as a global criminal court. Only a universal membership of the Rome Statute will enable the ICC to properly execute its mandate and increase its effectiveness in trying perpetrators of the crimes under its jurisdiction.

However, with the glacial progress of States joining the ICC, the current number of 123 States Parties – with some of the global powers absent- is still far from achieving this goal. The reasons for reluctance to join the ICC vary. In some, governments block ratification/accession despite Parliamentary support. In others, anti- ICC propaganda interferes with its advancement. Other reasons include an unwillingness to risk subjecting national leaders to ICC jurisdiction, on- going domestic human rights / political crises, or simply that ICC membership is not a political priority.

This side event analysed the main problems hindering States from joining the ICC, with examples of successes as well as challenges experienced, elucidated from the perspective of Parliamentarians from four countries.