The International Criminal Court (ICC) will celebrate its 20th anniversary on July 1st, 2022

The International Criminal Court (ICC) will celebrate its 20th anniversary on July 1st, 2022. On this day in 2002, the International Criminal Court (ICC) was established after the Rome Statute was ratified by 60 States.

“On the 20th anniversary of the ICC, we can celebrate the fact that we have a permanent, independent international court dedicated to the fight against impunity for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression,” said Judge Piotr Hofmaski, President of the Court, in a statement commemorating the occasion.

I ask all States to join the ICC, so that victims everywhere can receive justice and help guard against atrocities, he concluded.

“The Rome Statute entered into force twenty years ago today,” ICC Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan QC stated.

It was a fantastic accomplishment. But now is also a time to halt, think, and strive to reinvigorate the international justice system.

“We must all work to improve and recommit to these values of fairness, which belong to all of mankind,” he concluded.

I am certain that if we work together, international justice will advance and have the necessary impact.

Additionally, we must pray for a world that is more just, safe, and peaceful than the one that so many of our fellow brothers and sisters experience right now in 20 years.

Peter Lewis, Registrar of the ICC, said: “The Court is busier than ever after 20 years of existence dealing with crimes that shock the global conscience.

Our States Parties, international organizations, and civil society have all supported and worked with us to achieve everything we have in the past 20 years.

That collaboration and support are more critical than ever as we tackle new problems.”

ICC gathering

The International Criminal Court will hold a conference today at the World Forum in The Hague (The Netherlands) to commemorate its 20th anniversary, with the theme “The ICC at 20: Reflections on the past, present, and future.”

The conference panelists, who include experts from international organizations and tribunals, bar associations, representatives of States, academia, and civil society, will discuss the Court’s accomplishments in its first 20 years, particular facets of the ICC’s current operations, and areas that the international criminal justice system needs to continue to develop in the future.

On July 1, 2022, from 9:30 to 18:00 The Hague time, you can watch the conference live on the ICC YouTube Channel at bit.ly/3a48kgb. At the conclusion of the conference, a second press release with further details and images will be made available.

ICC display

In conjunction with the Trust Fund for Victims and Fondation Carmignac, the International Criminal Court also celebrated its 20th anniversary by launching an exhibition that will be on display at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York from 27 June to 29 July 2022.

Following New York, it will be shown in public as part of the ongoing celebrations for the Court’s 20th anniversary in The Hague, Geneva, and a number of the situation countries.

The ICC exhibition features chosen images from the Court’s “Life after Conflict” collection and tells the survivors of some of the worst atrocities in history.

The images were taken at various phases of the ICC investigation in five different nations by award-winning photographers Rena Effendi, Pete Muller, and Finbarr O’Reilly.

The first-ever public accounts of ICC reparations recipients are depicted in photographs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

They represent the entire justice process, from the beginning of the investigations to the conclusion of the ICC cases, including the payment of reparations to the victims.