Daily Times

Australia has joined almost 100 other countries to sign a statement in support of the International Criminal Court.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the move on Saturday after Belgium, Jordan, Chile, Senegal and Slovenia initiated the statement.

“Australia is among 93 countries reiterating our commitment to the independence of the International Criminal Court,” she wrote on social media platform X.

Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Japan, Germany and France also committed to the statement.

“As States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, we uphold that the Court, its officials and staff shall carry out their professional duties as international civil servants without intimidation,” the pledge read. “The ICC, as the world’s first and only permanent international criminal court, is an essential component of the international peace and security architecture.

“We therefore call on all States to ensure full co-operation with the Court for it to carry out its important mandate of ensuring equal justice for all victims of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression, grave crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world.”

The Rome Statute was the treaty that established the International Criminal Court in 1998.

Earlier this month, Senator Wong defended Australia’s vote in support of Palestine at the United Nations and the role of the International Criminal Court.