UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY PLENARY DEBATE ON THE REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR JAMES LARSEN, AMBASSADOR AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF AUSTRALIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
28 October 2024
As delivered
Thank you President.
Let me take this opportunity to also thank President Akane for your briefing on the important work of the International Criminal Court over the past year.
It is clear the Court continues to make a vital contribution to our collective effort to seek accountability for serious international crimes.
And Australia remains a steadfast supporter.
Serious international crimes pose a threat not just to individual countries, but to the international community as a whole.
Australia considers the Court to be an essential component of the international peace and security architecture.
Effective cooperation between the Court and the United Nations is fundamental to our collective pursuit of peace and security.
Australia encourages all States and civil society to support the Court in carrying out its important mandate.
This is particularly so in the face of clear attempts to interfere with its operation and staff – not least through increasingly blatant cyber-attacks.
Australia is committed to upholding and defending the principles and values enshrined in the Rome Statute.
This means standing ready to protect the Court, its officials and those cooperating with it from any political interference and pressure.
President,
Australia believes that the fight against impunity starts at home.
The Court’s crucial role in holding perpetrators of serious international crimes to account is complementary to national criminal jurisdictions.
States bear the primary responsibility to investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute those responsible for such crimes.
Australia reiterates its commitment to putting words into actions through national efforts.
We welcome the Office of the Prosecutor’s increasing engagement on complementarity, and the newly formulated Policy on Complementarity and Cooperation released in April this year is an important contribution.
In addition, Australia and Uganda will continue our work as co-focal points on complementarity to facilitate the Court’s survivor-centred approach to accountability for gender-based crimes, and to facilitate ongoing dialogue on complementarity.
This work also supports the Court’s survivor-centred approach to accountability for gender-based crimes by bringing the justice process closer to communities.
President, in closing
Australia shares the Office of the Prosecutor’s view of the Court as a ‘hub’ rather than the ‘apex’ of global efforts supporting international criminal justice.
Australia values the Court’s crucial goal of combatting impunity in today’s challenging times.
We urge all Member States to provide the on-going support the Court requires to deliver its mandate and Australia reaffirms our commitment to doing our part.
Finally, I wish to take the opportunity to welcome Ukraine's ratification of the Rome Statute, with the deposit of its instrument of ratification on October 25 this year.
Thank you.