Now, 15 years after the court’s inception, there are more than twice the original number of states participating in the ICC— a fact celebrated on July 17 as part of the Day of International Criminal Justice.   Human Rights Watch, The American Bar Association (ABA) and others took time to recognize the importance of international cooperation and the ICC, which sits in The Hague in the Netherlands, and highlight the strides made toward combating war crimes and other abuses.  

"The ICC has helped place the concept of justice and accountability permanently on the international agenda. A permanent institution for addressing the gravest crimes has inspired the fight against impunity worldwide," said ICC President Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi.  "The ICC represents a promise of justice and protection for victims of atrocious crimes. In order to sustain the historic gains made in international justice, the Court needs sufficient and concrete support for its activities."  

Fernández de Gurmendi recently spoke at a conference in London regarding international criminal justice and Syria, a state where the ICC does not have jurisdiction, according to information from the court.   Anjelica Jarrett, an associate at the International Justice Program for Human Rights Watch, said the support of member countries is critical to the success of the ICC, especially with respect to executing investigations, warrants and witness protection programs.    

"Private and public diplomacy is necessary to protect the court’s independence and legitimacy from outside political pressure," Jarrett wrote.   

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the Rome Statute and Jarrett said the milestone is an "invaluable opportunity" for counties to display their support. "The ICC has accomplished much in 15 years, most notably in making accountability for atrocity crimes an expectation rather than a fleeting hope," said ABA President Linda Klein.   

The statute limits courts' jurisdiction to the "most serious crimes" concerning the international community. Article 5 of the statute lists genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression within its purview.  

Klein said both the court and the world's states must continue to work toward ensuring global justice. "As recognized by the court itself, much work remains to be done in enhancing its effectiveness and efficiency," she said. "Yet the nations of the world also have much more to do in cooperating and assisting ICC investigations and prosecutions, as well as in developing complementary national capacity to pursue accountability for atrocity crimes."  

As part of the day's commemorations, the registrar of the ICC, Herman von Hebel and H.E. Ambassador of Denmark to Uganda, Mogens Pedersen, launched an "Access to Justice" program in Uganda where alleged war crimes have been reported. The project will strengthen efforts to allow the Northern Ugandan population to follow proceedings against reputed rebel commander and warlord Dominic Ongwen, including supporting media access to the proceedings, providing video screenings and facilitating discussions about the matter.   

"It is our purpose, to transform these local interests into popular participation and ownership of the processes, and to strengthen local confidence in the Court's work and in justice and accountability in general," said Hebel. "It is our profound confidence, that this project will help us to bring the ICC courtrooms to every single member of the affected community."  

The project was funded by the Danish International Development Agency with a 210,000 euro grant, according to information from the ICC.  

To further explore the ICC's cornerstone document, read the text of the Rome Statue here (PDF).