PGA joins the Global Initiative Against Impunity: Making Justice Work
PGA’s Rome Statute Campaign is thrilled to announce its partnership in the Global Initiative Against Impunity: Making Justice Work. This four-year civil society-led initiative aims to address impunity for international crimes and serious human rights violations by enhancing justice and accountability. Co-funded by the European Union and led by FIDH, it will contribute, at the global stage, to empower survivors, foster coordination among stakeholders, and improve accountability standards. By placing survivors at the center of justice efforts, the initiative seeks to achieve meaningful, long-term change and combat the rising threat of impunity globally.
Reinforcing our efforts to promote accountability is of the utmost importance, especially at a time when the International Criminal Court faces significant challenges. Through the Rome Statute System Campaign, PGA has recognized the vital role parliamentarians play in defending and upholding international justice. In this spirit, our members have issued a Global Parliamentary Declaration in Support of the ICC, emphasizing that any threats, political pressure, or sanctions against the Court and its officials directly attack the principles of international justice. The Declaration remains open for signature by all parliamentarians around the world, and we call on all our members to sign it and share it with their peers in a powerful demonstration of global solidarity with the ICC.
The year commenced with a landmark celebration: On 1 February, Armenia officially became the 124th State Party to the Rome Statute. On this occasion, PGA extended its sincere congratulations to Armenia, and its parliamentary members, who played a crucial role in overcoming the complex process initiated two decades ago to uphold international accountability. A dedicated ceremony was organized at the ICC on 8 February to mark this significant milestone.
Throughout this semester, the situation in Ukraine remained a priority for the Campaign on the Rome Statute, which has been actively supporting its members in the country to advance the ratification and domestication of the Rome Statute since 2014. From 31 January to 1 February, PGA facilitated a visit of a Ukrainian parliamentary delegation to the Hague to further the ratification and implementation process of the Statute and assist Ukrainian parliamentarians in garnering political support from Dutch parliamentarians. The commemoration of the two years of aggression on 24 February underscored the urgency of strengthening efforts to address the human and environmental catastrophe resulting from the war. Acknowledging that full accountability for crimes committed since 2014 is imperative for justice and the rule of law to prevail, PGA, alongside its Ukrainian members, has advocated for the urgent ratification of the amended Rome Statute and its implementation at the domestic level. On this occasion, PGA also recalled the crackdown on Russian opposition figures, exemplified by the death of Alexei Navalny, and condemned the repression of those who courageously defend democracy and peace, including Vladimir Kara-Murza, who had been, fortunately, released on 1 August in the US-Russia prisoner swap.
On a more positive note, PGA welcomed the adoption of the Organic Law on Cooperation between the State of Ecuador and the ICC, officially published on 16 May. This significant step reflects Ecuador’s unwavering commitment to international justice and its stance against impunity.The Bill, championed by PGA’s Executive Board Member, Esther Cuesta Santana, underwent a rigorous legislative process, culminating in its unanimous approval by the National Assembly. This achievement underlines the collective efforts of Ecuadorian parliamentarians and key stakeholders in promoting international justice.
Strengthening cooperation is of the utmost importance for the functioning of the Court, especially at a time when the ICC’s mandate is jeopardized. On 29 May, PGA published a Global Parliamentary Declaration in Support of the ICC, following the threats and attacks received after the ICC Prosecutor issued applications for arrest warrants in the situation of Palestine. PGA stresses that any attempts to intimidate the Court and interfere with the independence of its investigations and prosecutions based on political or other considerations significantly undermine the legitimacy, efficiency, and effectiveness of its mandate. The Declaration calls for parliamentarians worldwide to sign and show their support, reinforcing the ICC’s mandate to hold perpetrators of the gravest crimes accountable and uphold the rule of law.
From 15-17 May, PGA also facilitated the visit of Surinamese parliamentarians to The Hague. The delegation, including Hon. Patrick Kensenhuis, Member of the Human Rights Committee and Chair of the PGA National Group in Suriname, andHon. Dewanchandrebhose Sharman, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Human Rights Committee, engaged in productive dialogues with officials from the ICC, the Dutch Senate, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These meetings aimed to strengthen accountability for international crimes, reinforce the non-proliferation of chemical weapons, and promote democracy and the rule of law.PGA empowers legislators to support international efforts in addressing global challenges by providing parliamentarians with firsthand knowledge of these organizations' activities.
The semester concluded with a visit of Somali Parliament members to The Hague from 28 to 30 May. The delegation, comprising Hon. Omar Sharif Mohamed, Hon. Ali Dahir Saleban, and Hon. Mohamed Ali Hassan, engaged in critical discussions on accountability and justice with ICC officials, as well as with representatives from the OPCW, the Dutch Ministry of Justice, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Dutch Senate. This visit emphasized the need for international cooperation to support Somalia’s accession process to the Rome Statute, highlighting the importance of providing necessary assistance to build a future where justice prevails and lasting peace is achieved.
- Participation: enhancing survivors’ and civil society’s involvement in shaping inclusive justice and accountability processes, ending their exclusion, which undermines prospects for achieving meaningful justice and long-term sustainable change.
- Justice: strengthening formal and informal justice and accountability processes, including through survivors’ contributions and dialogue with justice providers, and addressing knowledge gaps that enable impunity to continue.
- Accountability: engaging with policy and decision-makers to put the fight against impunity back as a priority on the political agenda, seeking to increase their commitments and actions to fulfill victims' and survivors’ rights to truth, justice, and reparation.
Additionally, the Initiative is driven by three core values:
- Survivor-centered: All actions are guided by a survivor-centered approach that promotes a victim-centered, trauma-informed, and gender-responsive approach, where victims are equal actors. This approach is rooted in a broad understanding of impunity, its root causes, and the systemic drivers that enable impunity to endure.
- Collaborative: fostering coordination with other initiatives and exchanging knowledge and experience among survivors and other stakeholders to increase awareness on issues related to the fight against impunity, including addressing misconceptions and understanding the root causes of impunity.
- Global: The initiative operates worldwide with a particular focus on 27 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. It also seeks to significantly impact the rule of law, accountability standards, and atrocity prevention in other countries in its regions. Each of the organizations, in collaboration with their vast networks of regional and national partners around the world, will contribute to promoting justice and accountability for serious human rights violations, including torture, enforced disappearance, and other core international crimes, i.e., the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
The threat of impunity is too significant to tackle alone. That is why, through concerted collaboration, the Global Initiative Against Impunity aims to help make justice work for those who need it most.