The Chamber of Deputies of Argentina hosted and co-organized the 43^rd Annual Forum of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) – the largest network of individual lawmakers committed to human rights in all regions of the world – which was devoted to the 12^th session of the Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians on the International Criminal Court and the Rule of Law (CAP-ICC).

Opening Session

The forum was inaugurated by Dip. Eduardo Valdés, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, and closed by Dip. Ramiro Gutiérrez, Chair of the Security Committee, on behalf of the Speaker of the Chamber. The CAP-ICC, which takes place every two years, brought together (in person and virtually) more than a hundred members of parliaments from over 45 countries, including South, Central and North American, Caribbean, African, Western and Eastern European, Asian and Pacific Island States.

Following the remarks by the Argentinean Foreign Minister H.E Santiago Cafiero and ICC’s Assembly of States Parties President Ms. Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi during the opening session, Lawmakers from all regions of the world had the opportunity to learn about the most important achievements and challenges of the ICC through a keynote address presented by the ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmański and by a video-message sent from The Hague by ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC. The three leaders of the Rome Statute system - designed to fight impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern - recognized the role of PGA and its CAP-ICC as a key tool to bring the international justice institutions closer to the constituencies democratically electing Parliamentarians as their representatives.

As recalled by Prosecutor Khan, PGA Members have so far contributed to the national decision-making processes that generated membership by 78 out of the 123 States that are parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC, its founding treaty which entered into force 20 years ago. Responding to the exhortation by ICC President Hofmański to the 71 UN Member States that have not yet ratified the Rome Statute, leading MPs from Jamaica and Guinea Bissau – PGA Board Member Ms. Angela Brown Burke and PGA International Council member Hon. João Vieira respectively – undertook public commitments to bring the necessary changes in their domestic legal orders to ensure ratification. In a bilateral meeting, Hon. Samuelo Penitala Teo, the Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu, also highlighted his institutional commitment to a prompt accession to the Statute, which has been already approved by the Executive of his country.

The segment of the CAP-ICC devoted to the universalization of the Rome Statute was opened by a strong pledge by PGA International Council Chairperson Hon. Naveed Qamar (currently also Minister for Commerce and Investment of Pakistan), to commence a national debate on accession in his country. Honorable Qamar stressed the important role that PGA Member Hon. Mohsin Dawar, Chairperson of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, could play in this regard.

The US Ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice, H.E. Beth van Schaack, delivered a forceful intervention in which she presented the US Administration policies for accountability and justice to prevent and counter atrocity-crimes while underlining that the US respects the sovereign decision by States – including its closest allies – to ratify the Rome Statute. The United States is a signatory to the Rome Statute but has not ratified it. Similarly, the People’s Republic of China, India, and the Russian Federation are not members of the Rome Statute system either.

Panel Discussions

As the CAP-ICC developed into thematic and focused panels with experts and leaders from academia and civil society organizations, Parliamentarians had the chance to present their views and concerns in their individual capacity as leaders who want to bring about change in their communities, countries, regions, and globally.

War in Ukraine

The ongoing and unprecedented war of aggression and annexation launched by a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, the Russian Federation, against its neighboring country, Ukraine, took the central stage and was one of main issues thoroughly discussed during the debates. It generated a renewed call by all participants to the Government and Parliament of Ukraine to ratify the Rome Statute and ensure that accountability is pursued for all the core crimes falling under the jurisdiction of the ICC, namely, genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. On the latter point, the CAP-ICC welcomed the expert-presentations by Professors Claus Kreß and Jennifer Trahan, and the call by Ukrainian Lawmaker Ms. Galyna Mykhailiuk (PGA Member) for the creation of an ad hoc international jurisdiction that will be capable of investigating, prosecuting and – as appropriate – adjudicating those individuals who may have perpetrated the crime of aggression by exercising effective command and control on the armed forces of the aggressor State(s).

Lawmakers welcomed the principled and powerful statement delivered by the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL) Chairwoman Ms. Oleksandra Matviichuk, a human rights activist and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Ms. Matviichuk was designated by the PGA Board as Defender of Democracy Award recipient, in its meeting of 4 June 2022, and she was also nominated in early February by PGA’s Secretary-General for the 2022 Right Livelihood Award. A longstanding partner of PGA, CCL co-organized with the Rada of Ukraine the 10^th session of the CAP-ICC in Kyiv in 2018.

Buenos Aires Plan of Action

Following an intense debate steered by PGA Board Member Sen. Boris Dittrich (The Netherlands), CAP-ICC participants adopted, in their individual capacity, the Buenos Aires Plan of Action on the Universality and Effectiveness, and political support for, the Rome Statute system against impunity, which contains 10 concrete action-points for Lawmakers on (I) the impact of the Rome Statute system on global affairs, domestic jurisdictions, atrocity-prevention, and the imperative to achieve peace with justice, and (II) the challenges for international criminal justice.

Closing Remarks

In their closing statements, the Chair of the PGA Argentina National Group, Sen. Lucila Crexell and PGA President Hon. Kasthuri Patto MP (Malaysia), recalled the vision and mission of PGA for tangible and result-oriented actions in national, regional and trans-regional parliaments that can “contribute to the creation of a rules-based international order for a more safe, equitable, sustainable, and democratic world.”

The Forum was attended in-person and via remote connection by Parliamentarians from Afghanistan (legitimately elected Parliament), Albania, Argentina, Austria, Barbados (delegation led by Speaker of Parliament Hon. Arthur Holder MP), Belgium, Belize, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eswatini, France (European Parliament), Gambia, Germany, Ghana (delegation led by Speaker of Parliament Hon. Alban Bagbin MP), Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Italy (European Parliament), Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (represented by the Head of the elected Parliament in exile), Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Seychelles, Sierra Leone/ECOWAS Parliament (delegation led by the Speaker Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis), Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu (delegation led by the Speaker Hon. Penitala Teo), Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe.

Following the end of the CAP-ICC, PGA’s International Council held its annual meeting in which the global membership of the organization was represented through the Chairs of its National Groups. The Council elected Hon. Naveed Qamar, MP (Pakistan) as PGA’s new President and Mr. Ali Ehsassi, MP (Canada) as Chair of PGA’s International Council for the term 2023-24. Ms. Petra Bayr, MP (Austria) was re-elected Treasurer of the organization. Six members were elected to integrate the 15-member PGA Executive Committee (the Board), namely, Dip. Margarita Stolbizer (Argentina), Speaker Valerie Woods (Belize), Mr. Fabio Massimo Castaldo MEP (Italy/European Parliament), Sen. Emilio Álvarez Icaza Longoria (Mexico), Dep. Antonio Niquice (Mozambique), and Sen. Boris Dittrich (Netherlands). The other six Board Members for the 2023 term are: Asambleísta Esther Cuesta, MP (Ecuador), Hon. Angela Brown-Burke, MP (Jamaica), Hon. Millie Odhiambo, MP (Kenya), Hon. Rozaina Adam, MP (Maldives), Hon. Bernard Georges, MP (Seychelles), and Ms. Ann-Sofie Alm, MP (Sweden).

All the above leading members of PGA have been elected to serve the organization in their individual capacity, and not on behalf of their State, Parliament, Committee, political party or, when applicable, Government. The current or future holding of a Government (Cabinet) position by an individual MP is compatible with these elected positions in so far as this is allowed by the relevant constitution and legal framework applicable to the individual in question. PGA is an independent Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in general consultative status with the UN/ECOSOC and implements norms and principles on separation of powers and on parliamentary ethics and accountability in the strictest possible terms.

Recorded Interventions

Presentations

• The Role of Legislators in Atrocity-Prevention: Democratic Backsliding, a Precursor to gross Human Rights Violations? - H.E. Mr. Aung Kyi Nyunt, Delegation Leader of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Myanmar)
• Cooperación efectiva de los Estados y los desafíos para el Estado de Derecho - Esther Cuesta, Asambleísta de la República del Ecuador
• Democratic Backsliding - How can we as parliamentarians prevent this? - Hon. Rozaina Adam, MP (Maldives), Chair of the Parliamentary Rapid Response Team
• Sen. Gladys Esther González, Parlamentaria de Argentina, Presidenta de la Comisión de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable y vocal de la Banca de la Mujer
• Dip. Juan Dionicio Rodríguez Restituyo, Parlamentario de la República Dominicana