United Nations General Assembly: Report of the International Criminal Court - Item 74

Statement delivered by H. E. Carolyn Schwalger, Permanent Representative

Thank you, Mr. President,

We thank President Akane for the Court's report and welcome the opportunity to discuss the International Criminal Court's contribution to the international rule of law and its relationship with the United Nations.

As the first and only permanent international criminal court, New Zealand considers the Court to be a central pillar in the international rules-based system and our framework for international criminal justice. The relevance of the ICC is unquestioned. States are joining the Rome Statute, because they know it matters, and it helps. Armenia and Ukraine have recently joined.

We commend the Court's substantial investigatory work accomplished this year concerning conflicts and alleged crimes across four continents.

The cooperation, assistance and support of all States Parties remains essential to the Court's operations. States Parties are required to cooperate with the Court, including by facilitating the arrest and surrender to the Court of perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern. New Zealand also reiterates our calls on all states, whether or not they are Party to the Rome Statute, to support the Court's important work towards international justice and accountability.

New Zealand's focus has been on ensuring the Court is sufficiently resourced to conduct its investigations and prosecutions independently, impartially and securely.

This is particularly important at a time when the Court faces a number of threats. It is unacceptable that some countries have issued arrest warrants for elected officials and personnel of the Court. In June New Zealand endorsed a Joint Statement reaffirming our shared commitment to preserve the Court's integrity from political interference and pressure. New Zealand stands by those statements.

It is also unacceptable that the Court has experienced cyber-attacks and other attempts at infiltration and intimidation. As part of our support for the Court as an independent and impartial judicial institution, New Zealand provided support for the Court's Security Trust Fund. Ensuring the Court is safe, secure and resilient is critical to ensuring that the work to end impunity continues at pace. We thank the Netherlands for its consistent support as Host State.

It's no secret that New Zealand also strongly supports the work of the Trust Fund for Victims. That's for good reason. For many in situation countries, the Trust Fund for victims is the 'face' and the 'hands' through which individuals see the Court - and see international justice. We are pleased to see that over 16,000 victims have participated in cases before the Court. New Zealand stands by the Trust Fund for Victims in its important work, including through voluntary contributions, and encourages others to consider what more they could do in this regard.

Chair, we are encouraged by the support for the Court already expressed in this room. New Zealand calls on all countries who have not yet done so to ratify or accede the Rome Statute and strongly support universal membership of the Rome Statute, which will help end impunity and ensure that all victims have access to justice.

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