The Global Campaign for the Prevention of Aggression

Joint Civil Society Statement:  In light of the upcoming review of the aggression amendments in July 2025, over 40 NGOs signed a joint statement calling on all states parties to take the steps required to amend the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression. It states that “the international community needs…a legal framework that can end impunity and effectively deter state leaderships from waging aggressive wars and other acts of aggression.” This is why “the ICC must be able to prosecute the crime of aggression under the same conditions that exist for the other three core international crimes”. The signatories include, inter alia, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Open Society Justice Initiative and Parliamentarians for Global Action. For the full statement, see here.

Denmark becomes 47th State to ratify Kampala amendments: The GIPA congratulates Denmark on becoming the 47th State to ratify the amendments on the crime of aggression on 1 January 2025.

GIPA Convenor Statement on the Illegal Use of Force by Israel Defense Forces
in the Territory of Syria: In her statement, the Convenor of the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression condemns Israel’s December 2024 use of force in the territory of Syria. The uses of force are not lawful acts of self-defense under international law, given there has been no relevant armed attack against Israel. The deployment of the Israeli Defense Forces on the Syrian side constitutes a textbook example of occupation

Side Event at the Assembly of States Parties 2024: During the December 2-6, 2024, meeting of the ICC‘s Assembly of States Parties in The Hague, Netherlands, a side-event panel was held entitled “Reviewing the ICC’s Jurisdiction over the Crime of Aggression: Addressing a Double Standard in International Law.”

It featured government ministers from Slovenia, Costa Rica and Germany, as well as Liechtenstein Ambassador Christian Wenaweser, and Professor Charles Jalloh, Professor Claus Kress, and Professor Jennifer Trahan. It was sponsored by Costa Rica, The Gambia, Liechtenstein, Germany, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Vanuatu, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, and the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression. It focussed on the need for the ASP to harmonize the jurisdiction in the ICC’s Rome Statute regarding all four Rome Statute crimes.

Discussion Paper for the Mandated Review of the Aggression Amendments: On 8 November 2024, the Permanent Representatives of Costa Rica, Sierra Leone, Vanuatu, Germany and Slovenia sent a discussion paper to all States Parties to the Rome Statute in preparation of the mandated review of the Aggression Amendments in 2025. The discussion paper had previously been elaborated by a cross-regional group of friends and points out two options for how Article 15 bis of the Rome Statute can be revised to bring the Court’s jurisdictional regime over the crime of aggression in line with its jurisdiction over genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Ukraine will become the 125th State Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: On October 25, 2024, Ukraine officially deposited with the United Nations its instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Thus, the ratification will take effect on January 1, 2025. This will make Ukraine the 125th State Party to the Rome Statute and the 46th ratifier of the Kampala Amendments on the crime of aggression.

Ukraine and the ratification of the Rome Statute: On the Independence Day of Ukraine on 24 August 2024, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy symbolically signed the law previously adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its Kampala amendments on the crime of aggression. The formal deposit of Ukraine’s instrument of ratification will be made in due course. Once effective, Ukraine’s ratification would give the ICC jurisdiction over the crime of aggression going back to July 17, 2018. However, due to the carve out of nationals of non-State Parties under Article 15bis (5) of the Rome Statute, the ICC would not be able to exercise jurisdiction over Russian nationals for the crime of aggression committed against Ukraine. Additionally, Ukraine has invoked Article 124 of the Rome Statute to exempt its nationals from the ICC’s jurisdiction over war crimes for a period of seven years, while it is unclear whether such a selective use of Article 124 is allowed under the Rome Statute.

Robert Kempner Prize 2024: On 4 May 2024, Annegret Hartig received the Robert Kempner Prize for her monograph “Making Aggression a Crime Under Domestic Law. On the Legislative Implementation of Article 8bis of the ICC Statute.“ The Robert Kempner Prize is awarded by the Association of German Speaking International Criminal Lawyers (Arbeitskreis Völkerstrafrecht) for outstanding monographs in the field of international criminal law with a connection to German speaking legal orders and written by scholars who have not yet reached the age of 35. The jury observed the breadth and depth of Annegret Hartig’s analysis of the crime of aggression and the various techniques of implementing this international crime into domestic law. The jury emphasized that the study also substantially engaged with fundamental concepts of international criminal law, such as personal and functional immunity, universal jurisdiction and the duty of States to enforce international criminal law. The jury concluded that Annegret Hartig’s work qualifies as a basic work of the discipline.