Our purpose: Promoting peace through criminal justice – preventing crimes of aggression
Through the United Nations Charter, States have expressed their commitment “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. They have agreed to renounce the illegal threat or use of force, and to settle their disputes “by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered”. States have the legal duty to abide by this commitment and the UN Security Council has the primary responsibility to enforce it.The Nuremberg Trials made it clear that criminal justice also has an important role to play for the promotion of peace and the deterrence of acts of aggression – though it remained limited and theoretical for many decades thereafter. With the 2010 Kampala amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, States Parties created a new mechanism to enforce the most important rule of international law: the prohibition of the illegal use of force under the United Nations Charter. This website is dedicated to making accountability a reality.
News
Book on the Crime of Aggression and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Congratulations to Professor Jennifer Trahan on the launch of her new book The Crime of Aggression and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine (TMC Asser Press 2026). The 300 page book explores the history of the crime of aggression from the 1800s to the present. It traces the events leading to, and including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, analyzing why the elements of the crime of aggression are satisfied. The book goes on to describe the various efforts to establish a special tribunal for the crime of aggression in the situation. It analyzes the key features of the agreement reached between the Council of Europe and Ukraine to establish such a tribunal. The book culminates in an explanation of why broader jurisdiction over the crime of aggression is needed, and explores the efforts to harmonize the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction over all four Rome Statute crimes. For more details, see here.
US 
Congressional Gold Medal for Benjamin B. Ferencz: On 14 April 2026, Benjamin B. Ferencz was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor of the United States. The medal was awarded in recognition of his service during the post- World War II Nuremberg trials and lifelong advocacy for international criminal justice and rule of law. US Congress voted to bestow on Benjamin B. Ferencz the medal in 2022 and formally gave the medal to his family members this year. For more information, see here and here.
GIPA campaign to strengthen the ICC’s jurisdiction (2026-27): On 17 April 2026, King’s College London Department of War Studies hosted the first public event of the 2026-2027 campaign of the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression (GIPA) to strengthen the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the crime of aggression. Moderated by Dr. Maria Varaki (Co-Chair, KGL War Crimes Research group), the panel included the Executive Director of the International Bar Association (IBA) Dr. Mark Ellis, Bristol Law School Prof. Noelle Quenivet, and GIPA Steering Committee members Dr. Astrid Reisinger Coracini (Salzburg University) and Dr. David Donat Cattin (NYU), and addressed “The crime of aggression and challenges to the exercise of international jurisdiction”. Panelists discussed the next steps to operationalize the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and the process towards reforming the ICC’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression. For the video of the event, see here. For more information, see here.
US and Israeli attack on Iran: GIPA member Carrie McDougall examines Australia’s support for the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, and argues it is both legally indefensible and strategically dangerous, see here.
Statement by the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression on the Situation in Iran: The Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression (GIPA) condemns the United States of America’s and State of Israel’s acts of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. For the full statement, see here (English), here (French) and here (Spanish).
Workshop on the Rule of Law: Charles Jalloh, Ambassador Christian Wenaweser and Convenor Jennifer Trahan spoke at the Austrian Mission to the United Nations on January 28–29, 2026. The workshop was entitled Rule of Law as Key to International Peace and Security and co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Austria, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, and Switzerland to the UN as well as the University of Vienna and Ludwig Boltzmann Institute. The panels were on The International Rule of Law, Democracy and Human Rights: Double Standards and the International Rule of Law; The Individual and the International Rule of Law; and the Guardians of the International Rule of Law. The discussion included the importance of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, the crime of aggression, and the need to create a workable jurisdictional regime over the crime. The audience was comprised of diplomats, academics and civil society. The program can be found here.
