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.

The Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression (GIPA) informs about the current delevopments related to the crime of aggression:

News

07 JUL 2025

Side event on “The Devastating Impact on Victims of Aggression and the Case for Harmonization from a Civil Society Perspective”: On 7 July 2025, the ECCHR, GIPA, PGA and TRIAL International, in partnership with the Victims’ Rights Working Group, co-organized a side event to the Special Session of the ICC Assembly of States Parties. This side event aimed to elevate the voices of victims of the crime of aggression to highlight the human impact of the current limitation of the ICC’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression. Colombian Ambassador Juan José Quintana, the Chair of the Working Group on Amendments, made the opening remarks. This was followed by a pre-recorded speech by Oleksandra Matviichuk, Chairwoman of Center for Civil Liberties and laureate of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize (Ukraine). The event was co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN.

29 JUN 2025

Preparation for the upcoming Review of the Kampala Amendments: The Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression offers a short document with the most important questions and answers on the proposed amendment to harmonize jurisdiction over all four Rome Statute crimes. This offers State delegates a perparation for the upcoming review of the Kampala amendments on the crime of aggression that will take place from 7 to 9 July 2025 in NYC. For the document, see here.

16 JUN 2025
Seminar on the Crime of Aggression at the African Union Mission in New York:
On 13 June 2025, the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression co-organized with the Permanent Missions of Sierra Leone and Switzerland to the United Nations and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland seminar for Legal Advisors of Permanent Missions to the UN of States Parties to the Rome Statute. The seminar focused on the amendment proposal with respect to harmonizing the jurisdiction of all four Rome Statute crimes. Welcoming remarks were provided by Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl, Permanent Representative of Switzerland, and Ambassador Michaela Swallow, Deputy Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone, as well as Ambassador Juan José Quintana (Colombia), Chair of the Working Group on Amendments of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute.
The seminar featured six members of GIPA as speakers: Executive Council member Ambassador Christian Wenaweser, and Council of Advisers’ members Judge Daniel Nsereko, and Professors Patrycja Grzebyk, Astrid Reisinger Coracini and David Donat Cattin, as well as GIPA’s Convenor, Professor Jennifer Trahan. Hosted in the Mandela Hall of the African Union in New York, the Seminar was structured in four substantive sessions focusing on the rationale for the amendments, the analysis of the amendments proposal presented by 5 States representing all regional groups, the mechanism for entry into force, and other procedural and substantive issues impacting the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the International Community as a whole. The event was attended by approximately 100 representatives of 75 States Parties and served to advance understanding and awareness of the legislative mandate on the upcoming review of the Kampala amendments by the ASP Special Session in July.

The event was supported by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland and the Global Challenges Foundation (Sweden), and was organized in partnership with the Montreal Institute for Global Security.

 

10 JUN 2025

Regional Conferences on Reviewing the Rome Statute: On 6 June 2025, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted in Berlin its final regional conference of the series entitled “Review of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: Strengthening the Court’s Jurisdiction for the Crime of Aggression.” This last conference was organized to bring together representatives from African States Parties. ICC President Akane gave the keynote address. Three members of the Global Institute for the Prevention of aggression were part of the panels: Prof. Claus Kreß, Prof. Charles Jalloh, Prof. Patrycja Grzebyk and Dr. Annegret Hartig. The series is intended to foster a united approach for the Review Conference in July 2025.

09 JUN 2025

Conference in Armenia on “Crime against Peace: Addressing the Crime of Aggression in a Changing World”:

From 4 to 6 June 2025, the Center for Truth and Justice organized in Yerevan, Armenia, a conference on the crime of aggression to underscore the urgency of renewed dialogue and advocacy in strengthening legal frameworks to combat aggression. Seven members of the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression spoke at the conference: former ICC President Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, Prof. Jennifer Trahan, Prof. Carrie McDougall, Prof. Gregory S. Gordon (in person); Ambassador Christian Wenaweser, Prof. Matthew Gillett and Prof. Claus Kreß (remotely). Ambassadors Fernández de Gurmendi and Wenaweser provided keynote addresses.

 

 

 

01 JUN 2025

Timor-Leste becomes 48th State to ratify Kampala amendments: The GIPA congratulates Timor-Leste on becoming the 48th State to ratify the amendments on the crime of aggression on 30 May 2025.

26 MAY 2025
High Level Retreat on the Review of the Kampala Amendments in Accra:
On 20 and 21 May 2025, African Legal Aid organized a high level meeting in Accra where more than 20 African States Parties were present to discuss the upcoming review of the Kampala amendments. Many voiced support for harmonizing the ICC’s jurisdiction over all four crimes. GIPA members Claus Kreß and Astrid Reisinger Coracine spoke at the meeting.
14 MAY 2025

GIPA letter to the ILC on Draft Article 7: On the occasion of the 76th Session of the International Law Commission (ILC) beginning on 28 April 2025, the Global Initiative for the Prevention of Aggression (GIPA) provided brief comments to the ILC on draft article 7 of the draft articles on immunity of State officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction. GIPA explains in its letter why there is no functional immunity from foreign criminal jurisdiction. Leaving the crime of aggression out of the list of crimes to which functional immunities do not attach would result in inconsistency and a risk of double standards. This could potentially fragment international law. For the full comments, see here.

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