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On 30 August 2011, at the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs in New York, the government of the Republic of the Philippines deposited its instrument of ratification to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Statute will enter into force for the Philippines on 1 November 2011, bringing the total number of States that have joined the Rome Statute system to 117.
ICC President Sang-Hyun Song, who visited the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries in March to facilitate informed consultations regarding the ratification of the Rome Statute, applauded this move. Speaking from the seat of the Court in The Hague, he stated: “This act is yet another indication of Asia’s growing role in the international community’s efforts to put an end to impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to humanity. I send my heartfelt congratulations to all those in the Philippines who worked hard to make this day possible, and I hope that this historic decision will serve to dispel unfounded concerns about joining the ICC among other Asian nations”.
The ratification by the Philippines reaffirms the Southeast Asian region’s solid commitment to international criminal justice in general and, in particular, the ICC, which is the first permanent international court set up to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.
For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or by e-mail at: [email protected].
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