The Parliament of Nepal unanimously approved a resolution directing government to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) last July. Acceding to the Rome Treaty could make Nepal the 101st State Party to the Treaty and sit as a permanent member of the Court's Assembly of States Parties, convening its fifth session in November in The Hague, Netherlands. FORUM-ASIA welcomed the decision, saying it eagerly awaits the final act of Nepal's government. The Parliament of Nepal unanimously approved a resolution directing government to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) last July. Acceding to the Rome Treaty could make Nepal the 101st State Party to the Treaty and sit as a permanent member of the Court’s Assembly of States Parties, convening its fifth session in November in The Hague, Netherlands.
FORUM-ASIA welcomed the decision, saying it eagerly awaits the final act of Nepal’s government.
“The resolution certainly signals to the international and regional community that Nepal is intent on starting its recovery on the right footing. Accession to the Rome Statute is a big first step,” said FORUM-ASIA executive director Anselmo Lee.
Asia is one of two regions in the world with the least number of ratifications to the Rome Treaty. FORUM-ASIA has conducted campaigns to increase ICC ratification since 2000. Only five countries have ratified the Rome Statute from Northeast, Southeast and South Asia: Cambodia, East Timor, Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Korea, while three signatories have yet to ratify: Bangladesh, Thailand and the Philippines.
“At this stage Nepal leads South Asia in the quest for international justice. At the same time the principles and standards set by the Rome Statute should contribute significantly to strengthening the rule of law in Nepal’s domestic system,” added Niza Concepcion, coordinator of FORUM-ASIA’s Democracy and Rule of Law Programme.
The Rome Treaty empowers the first permanent International Criminal Court to prosecute crimes of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and, as soon as it is defined, Aggression. The Court has jurisdiction in 100 countries all over the world. It is currently investigating situations in Uganda, Central African Republic and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the situation in Darfur, Sudan was referred to the ICC by the UN Security Council.
“Our mission is to end impunity and provide justice to the many victims of human rights abuse. We have a unique opportunity to join an international mechanism that will allow us to do so at the national and global levels,” acknowledged Mr Bijaya Gautam, Director of the Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC). “It is the responsibility of every human rights defender to advocate for accession to, and implementation of the Rome Statute,” he said.
INSEC is the convenor of the Nepal coalition for the ICC. It has led campaigns for ICC accession since 2002 and hopes to revive its activities following the directive of parliament towards accession.
For more information, please contact Niza Concepcion, Coordinator of Democracy and Rule of Law Programme ([email protected]).
