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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.

Tanzania and the Rome Statute

PGA has worked with Parliamentarians from Tanzania in promoting the fight against impunity over the last 15 years. The United Republic of Tanzania deposited its instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute on 20 August 2002. However, to date, Tanzania has not amended its national legislation to fully implement the Rome Statute yet.

Tanzania is hosting the International Criminal Court for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha and some alleged perpetrators of heinous crimes in 1994 have been transferred to the ICTR for investigation and prosecution as appropriate.

Rome Statute

The United Republic of Tanzania signed the Rome Statute on 29 December 2000 and deposited its instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute on 20 August 2002.

Kampala Amendments of 2010

At the thirteenth session of the Assembly of States Parties in December 2014, Tanzania made concrete commitments to ratify the amendments on the crime of aggression. However, to date Tanzania still has not signed the Kampala Amendments.

Status on the domestic implementation of the Rome Statute

In 2011-12, PGA leading member Dr. Pindi Chana, chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Public Administration of the Tanzanian National Assembly, organized a special hearing on a written submission to the Committee in order to discuss a draft ICC bill.  

In January 2010, after PGA having provided the Government of Tanzania with several bills to facilitate the adoption of the ICC legislation in April 2009, a draft bill, prepared by the Government, was transmitted to the Ministry of Justice.

Indeed, the Office of the Attorney General drafted the Tanzania International Criminal Court Act and the Rome Statute on ICC is annexed n and submitted the Act in January 2010 to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs for the Act to be taken to the Cabinet for approval and then be tabled to the Parliament, Civil Society and the general public for debate and approval.

PGA staff shared with relevant Government officials in charge of legislative drafting and other PGA members the texts of the Kenyan and South African Legislations, along with an ameliorated text of the Ugandan draft legislation.

Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Court (APIC)

The Government of Tanzania signed the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Court on 27 January 2004.

The Tanzania Parliament has advised the Government of Tanzania to speed up its processes to table the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Court before the Parliament for Ratification. Although the Tanzanian Government promised it during the Kampala Review Conference, it has to date not presented to the Parliament a draft law for the adoption of the resolution for the APIC.

Additional Agreements

Tanzania Publicly rejected the Bilateral Non Surrender Agreement (BNSA). 

Progress and Action by PGA

In May 2015, the Parliament of Tanzania hosted a roundtable to analyse the national and international legal frameworks on the death penalty as well as the particular situation of the death penalty in Tanzania and Uganda. During this session, PGA’s work on serving the rights of the victims who are entitled to have access to justice, reminding off the pending full domestic implementation of the Rome Statute. 

PGA staff and Tanzanian members have suggested and proposed implementation bills to the government, but to date, the Rome Statute has not been fully implemented yet, no progress has been made since 2009.

PGA organized the first sub-regional conference of its Campaign for the Rome Statute of the ICC in Arusha, Tanzania in June 2000: This event paved the way for the subsequent campaigns for the ratification of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

additional relevant information

Tanzania welcomed the ICC President Song on the 1 June 2009 who visited and talked with the President of Tanzania and other Ministers. The President of Tanzania offered him the Arusha International Conference Centre to be used as a seat of the ICC in Africa.

Tanzania is a member state of the Cotonou Agreement, a partnership agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States of the one part, and the European Union and its Member States, of the other part, signed on 23 June 2010.

Tanzania is a member of Friends of the ICC, the African Union, the Commonwealth and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Key Documents

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:

Parliamentarians and experts met in Banjul to explore mechanisms designed to provide accountability for serious human rights violations and international crimes.

African Parliamentarians gather in Banjul to discuss accountability mechanisms for serious human rights violations and international crimes

On 3 and 4 July 2019, the National Assembly of the Gambia hosted over 40 participants, representing more than 15 African States, to participate in the Working Group on the Fight against Impunity in Africa.

Hon. Pindi Chana (Tanzania), Chairperson of the International Council of PGA, Deputy Minister of Family Affairs, Youth, and Gender (center, in yellow suit), led the PGA Delegation that met with the President of the Senate of Haiti (center, in grey suit).

African MPs Support the ICC System as the Ultimate Safeguard Against Impunity

International Justice Day Statement by Hon. Dr. Pindi Chana, MP (Tanzania), in her capacity as Chairperson of the International Council, Parliamentarians for Global Action

The discussions brought together over 85 Legislators from the recently elected parliament of the Central African Republic.

Parliamentary Consultations on the Rule of Law & Justice in the Central African Republic

In the context of the ongoing peace consolidation efforts in the Central African Republic, this parliamentary conference provided a platform to discuss the role of international justice and the Rule of Law in the peace-building process, including the stre

The Workshop attracted Delegations of prominent Parliamentarians from Tanzania and Uganda, as well as leading PGA Members from Sierra Leone, Suriname and the host country itself, Kenya.

Report on PGA Regional East African Workshop on Implementation of the Rome Statute

The Workshop attracted Delegations of prominent Parliamentarians from Tanzania and Uganda, as well as leading PGA Members from Sierra Leone, Suriname and the host country itself, Kenya, including the Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, Hon. Kenneth

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)