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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.

Haiti and the Rome Statute

PGA has worked with Parliamentarians from Haiti since 2007 promoting the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes, and currently promoting ratification and domestic implementation of the Rome Statute.

Rome Statute

Haiti signed the Rome Statute on 26 February 1999. Haiti has not yet ratified the Rome Statute. However, during the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on the Rule of Law held in New York on 24 September 2012, Haiti's Prime Minister Lamothe made a specific statement committing publicly to the ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC as well as other treaties that would strengthen the Rule of Law in Haiti. International cooperation against international and transnational crimes is a political priority for the Republic of Haiti.

Kampala Amendments of 2010

Haiti has not ratified the Kampala Amendments.

Status on the domestic implementation of the Rome Statute

Haiti has not enacted domestic implementing legislation of the Rome Statute.

Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Court (APIC)

Haiti has not signed the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities.

Additional Agreements

Haiti signed a Bilateral Agreement on Non-Surrender agreement with the US in 2004.

Progress in Action

Haiti’s ratification of the Rome Statute would send a strong signal of the country’s commitment for the promotion of human rights and the fight against impunity, in continuity of the historical leadership of Haiti in those fields.

On 12-13 March 2015, PGA conducted consultations in Haiti in order to promote the country’s ratification of the Rome Statute. PGA received firm statements of commitment, in particular from the President of the Court of Cassation, who emphasized that the fight against impunity was a fundamental priority of Haiti and that the country should ratify the Rome Statute as soon as the new Parliament is sitting in a plenary capacity. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Justice affirmed the support of the Executive for such ratification, as did other Haitian stakeholders who emphasized the need for international cooperation to assist the ratification process of the Rome Statute.

The PGA delegation of Hon. Dr. Pindi Chana, MP Tanzania and Chair of PGA’s International Council; Ms. Margareta Cederfelt, MP Sweden, and PGA Treasurer; Sen. Julio César Valentin, Dominican Republic; Dip. Rony Monge, Costa Rica, PGA Secretary-General Dr. David Donat Cattin; PGA Assistant Secretary-General Jennifer McCarthy; ILHR Program Officer Romina Morello; and ILHR Program Intern Ms. Melissa Verpile met with representatives of the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of Haiti as well as with members of political parties, civil society, and the diplomatic community. This mission took place at a crucial moment, ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 2015.

The mission aimed to reinvigorate the political will to fight against impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern in the future, address key concepts inter alia the non-retroactivity of the Rome Statute, the independence of the ICC, the principle of complementarity, and the participation of and reparations for victims. Additionally, the mission allowed for the sharing of experiences of other countries on ratification of the Rome Statute. PGA’s Parliamentary Delegation underlined the necessity of a universal system of international justice, in particular a Latin America and Caribbean region free from impunity and to have the presence of Haiti in this system of the ICC for a better cooperation network and a more effective ICC.

On the 24 of September 2012, the Prime Minister of Haiti made pledges towards accession to the Rome Statute on the occasion of the High Level Meeting on the Rule of Law at national and international levels at the UN General Assembly. (Report of the Bureau on the Plan of action for achieving universality and full implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, page 4 paragraph 19).

In October 2008 PGA received a large multi parte and high level delegation from Haiti’s Parliament to attend PGA´s Fifth Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the ICC and the Rule of Law in Santo Domingo.

Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review

Haiti received no Rome Statute related recommendations in 1st cycle.

They will be reviewed on the 26th session of the 2ND cycle, possibly on the 25 July 2016.

Additional Relevant Information

On 23 June 2000 Haiti signed ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement, which contains a clause in support of ratification, domestic implementation and effective cooperation of ACP-EU countries with the ICC.


Related Activities
  • Parliamentary Mission to the Parliament and Government of Haiti to promote Ratification of the Rome Statute - 12, 13 March 2015
  • In 2013, the Government of Haiti – with unanimous confirmation by the Haitian Senate – deployed Prof. Denis Regis as Permanent Representative of Haiti to the UN: Prof. Regis is an academic expert and NGO leader who had presided over the Haitian Coalition for the ICC in previous years.
  • In 2008-09, on the occasion of official visit of the Centre d’Etudes Diplomatique et Internationale (CEDI) to the Holy See in Rome, the Senior Director of the Campaign for the Rome Statute of the ICC addressed the Haitian delegation led by Prof. Regis concerning the relevance and importance of the Rome Statute and the ICC in international relations and international law.

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:

Organization of American States (OAS)

Organization of American States (OAS)

The Organization of American States (OAS) is a continental organization that was founded on 30 April 1948 to promote regional solidarity and cooperation among its member States.

PGA Promotes the Universality of the Rome Statute at the Special Session of the OAS on the ICC

PGA Promotes the Universality of the Rome Statute at the Special Session of the OAS on the ICC

On 15 March 2018, Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), participated in the 10th Special Session of the Organization of American States (OAS) on the International Criminal Court (ICC), organized by the OAS Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs.

Grupo panelistas

Seminar on Cooperation with the ICC for parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors

Co-organized by Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice and the Parliament of Argentina in cooperation with PGA & the ICC, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Diputada Minou Tavarez Mirabal, Rep. Dominicana (President of PGA) addresses the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs

2016 Working Session on the ICC convened by the Permanent Council of the OAS

In February 2016, PGA President, Dip. Minou Tavarez Mirabal (Dominican Republic) addressed the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS) at its regular high-level session on the International Criminal Court.

PGA has worked with Parliamentarians from Haiti since 2007 promoting the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes.

Parliamentary Mission to the Parliament and Government of Haiti to promote Ratification of the Rome Statute - 12, 13 March 2015

PGA has organized a Parliamentary Mission from the Dominican Republic to the Parliament and Government of Haiti to contribute to the furtherance of the country’s engagement with international justice and to promote Ratification of the Rome Statute.

Meeting at the office of United States Representative and PGA member Mr. Jim Mc Govern with Diputada Minou Tavarez Mirabal, Rep. Dominicana, PGA Chair of International Council.

2013 Working Session on the ICC convened by the Permanent Council of the OAS

On Aril 11, 2013, the Chairperson of the International Council of PGA addressed the Political and Juridical Affairs Committee of the Organisation of American States at its regular high-level session on the International Criminal Court. Dip. Minou Tavarez.

The Strategic Consultations were opened by Ambassador Mary Whelan (Ireland) who is also the Facilitator of the ICC ASP on Cooperation and acknowledged the important role that PGA has played and continues to play in this area.

Strategic Consultations on Cooperation of States with the International Criminal Court

Hosted by the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations, and organized by PGA, a set of informal consultations with MPs on the key issue of Cooperation with the ICC took place in New York on December 6, 2010, opening day of the 9th ASP.

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)