Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,
H.E Ms. Annalena Baerbock,
Plenary meeting on Agenda item 74 ¨C Report of the International Criminal Court
10 am, 11 November 2025, General Assembly Hall,
[As Delivered]
Your Excellency Tomoko Akane, President of the International Criminal Court
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The founders of the International Criminal Court were guided by a powerful conviction:
That justice is a universal duty, a universal responsibility, and not merely an expression of national interest.
They created an institution that ensures that those responsible for the gravest crimes:
- Genocide.
- Crimes against humanity.
- War crimes.
- And the crime of aggression.
¡are held to account.
For these are crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world, as the State Parties to the Rome Statue recognized in its Preamble.
Crimes that corrode the foundations of the international order upon which peace, development, and human rights depend.
Moreover, through the Rome Statute, the Court recognizes victims not as passive witnesses, but as participants in the pursuit of justice, restoring dignity where it was taken away.
For survivors of genocides, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, the Court represents far more than an institution.
It stands as a promise.
A promise that justice, however long delayed, will ultimately prevail.
That nobody is above the law.
For more than two decades, the Court has confronted impunity and shown that even in the darkest moments, accountability remains possible.
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Yet, today, as we witness atrocities that continue to shock humanity¡¯s conscience, it is evident that the Court¡¯s mission is far from complete.
Indeed, just this year, the Court has issued or unsealed arrest warrants in relation to the situations in Afghanistan, Libya, the Philippines, Ukraine, and Palestine.
Ensuring that the Court can effectively discharge its mission depends on the resolve of its State Parties to implement the Rome Statute, defend the Court against attacks, and uphold three essential pillars:
- Universality,
- Cooperation,
- And complementarity.
With the ratification of the Rome Statute by Ukraine, there are now 125 State Parties, strengthening its universality.
Yet the court¡¯s strength depends on the cooperation of each State Party in ?investigations, arrests, and the execution of warrants.
The arrest of Mr. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, former President of the Philippines on charges of crimes against humanity and his transferring to the ICC by the Philippine¡¯s¡¯ national authorities is a demonstration of how such cooperation can transform principles into action.
The same spirit of cooperation must guide the relationship between the United Nations and the ICC.
As the report the President will present highlights, collaboration between our two institutions ¡ª grounded in shared ideals of peace, human rights, and justice ¡ª strengthens this common pursuit and reinforces the strength of international law.
Excellencies,
As the Court is also set up on the principle of complementarity, intervening only when national systems are unwilling or unable to act the stronger Member States¡¯ own judicial institutions and capacity to carry out investigations and prosecutions are, the less work and responsibility for the ICC.
On the other hand, strong national judiciaries are the anchor of a strong International Criminal Court. This is why complementarity is so important.
Independent judicial institutions, free from political interference, are among the most powerful safeguards to ensure that States Parties investigate and prosecute crimes under the Rome Statute, and by that strengthen international justice.
However, we all know that we are living in fragmented times.
While the vast majority of Member States are strengthening international law, including the Rome Statute concerning the crime of aggression for example – during the reporting period, there has been increased interference against the court itself.
Court officials have been sanctioned for defending the rule of law and pursuing accountability; and its systems have faced cyberattacks intended to undermine the court¡¯s credibility.
These are not isolated incidents; they are deliberate attacks against the Court which aim to weaken the rule of law and erode faith in international institutions.
The General Assembly therefore in resolution 79/6 ¡°underlines that the International Criminal Court and its officials and staff shall be able to carry out their mandate and professional duties as an international judicial institution and civil servants, respectively, without intimidation¡¯ and the resolution ¡°condemns any threats, attacks or interference against the Court, its personnel or those cooperating with it.¡±
Coercive measures or institutional sanctions are not only attacks on the ICC, but assaults on the very principles of international law itself.
The Court does not act on its own behalf, but in defense of the principles of the United Nations Charter ¡ª to protect all of us from the gravest crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
States Parties therefore cannot remain silent.
Indifference will lead to a world in which might makes right.
Our promise to hold accountable those who commit the gravest crimes and atrocities will carry weight only if Member States stand by the institution they created and uphold the justice the world still so urgently needs.
With that, I hand over to President Tomoko Akane and look forward to her presentation of the report.
Madame President Akane, you have the floor.