Ottawa, Canada, 2002

The entry into force of the Rome Statute on July 1, 2002 marked an important moment in PGA's work on the ICC, given that urgent objective of securing the 60 States' ratifications necessary to make the Court operational.

In this new context, under the leadership of Hon. Irwin Cotler, MP (Canada), former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, PGA launched the first global parliamentary gathering devoted entirely to the ICC, the Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the ICC and the Rule of Law, which met for the first time in Ottawa, Canada, on November 4-5, 2002.

The result of this Assembly was the Ottawa Plan of Action on the ICC, which has, in turn, spawned many new initiatives on ratification and effective implementation of the ICC Statute into national systems, as well as resolutions and parliamentary questions aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the ICC against any dilution contained in bilateral agreements or Security Council resolutions.

The First Session of the Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the ICC and the Rule of Law was supported by the European Commission (EU), the Government of Canada (DFAIT and CIDA), the Government of the Netherlands (DFAIT), the Government of Sweden (Sida), the Government of Switzerland and the Ford Foundation.