Danish statement at the Assembly of States Parties General Debate
Check Against Delivery
Madam President,
Excellences,
I am honoured to address this twenty-second Assembly of States Parties, where we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute. This is an opportunity to reflect on the achievements thus far and define our goals for the future of the Court.
Denmark aligns itself fully with the Statement delivered by the European Union. The ICC remains a crucial part of upholding the rules-based international order and is a key actor in the fight against impunity.
This is as important now as it has ever been. The world is faced with many challenges due to war and conflict. As a result, the Court is met with increasing demands and expectations. Meanwhile, the ICC, its judges, and its staff continue to face unacceptable attacks and threats.
It is therefore vital that States Parties continue to support the ICC in every possible way to ensure that perpetrators of the most serious international crimes are held to account.
To this end, Denmark has decided to increase its financial support to the Court even further and will make a public announcement to this end in a near future.
Madam President,
It is our hope that a dialogue-based approach and a well-managed and results-oriented Court will eventually lead to universal membership of the Court. In that regard, I want to thank the Review Mechanism for its excellent work and guidance in the past years. [As expressed by the Finnish delegation,] Denmark believes that the assessment part of the review mechanism ought to be finalised, and we need to look ahead. We need an implementation phase that is efficient, inclusive, and transparent.
The Rome Statute is based on the principle of complementarity. It is important to refine the balance between national jurisdictions and the Court.
We call on states to adopt national legislation based on the Rome Statute to ensure effective cooperation with the Court as well as the domestic prosecution of crimes under the jurisdiction of the Court.
Denmark recently established a Committee on the Independent Criminalization of Torture, War Crimes, and Crimes against Humanity in Danish national legislation. The committee is also carefully considering the potential Danish ratification of the Kampala amendments.
Madam President,
Let me conclude by renewing our commitment to the Court’s effectiveness, independence, and integrity.
The fight against impunity is as crucial now, as ever.
Thank you.