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> A Universal Court with Global Support > UN and the ICC

While the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an independent judicial institution, the United Nations has played a key role in the establishment of the Court. Indeed, the idea of an international criminal court was presented for consideration by Trinidad and Tobago at the 44th session of the General Assembly in 1989. Less than two decades later, the Court is now a functioning judicial institution.

The Rome Statute recognizes specific roles for the United Nations and the Security Council. In addition, both the General Assembly and the Security Council regularly discuss issues and themes relevant to the mandate and activities of the Court.

Effective cooperation with the United Nations is particularly important to the Court. The Relationship Agreement, concluded on 4 October 2004 by the President of the Court and the Secretary-General of the United Nations on behalf of their respective institutions, affirms the independence of the Court while establishing a framework for cooperation.

This section covers the many aspects of the UN – ICC relationship:

General Assembly includes information, organized by yearly session, about issues and themes of relevance to the ICC discussed within the framework of the General Assembly. It includes General Assembly resolutions, government statements and NGO reports, papers and statements.

Security Council includes information, organized by resolution or issue, about discussions of relevance to the ICC taking place within the framework of the Security Council.

UN Secretariat and Other Bodies includes information about reports produced by or statements made by UN secretariat officials of relevance to the ICC as well as by other bodies of the United Nations.

For more information on the UN and the ICC, please contact Toby Hanson at [email protected]
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