Statement by Switzerland and Japan
ICC Co-Focal Points in the UNSC
Stakeout to the Press
The situation in Libya (ICC referral pursuant to resolution 1970)
New York, 14 May 2024
We would like to make this statement on behalf of the members of the Security Council that are States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC): Ecuador, France, Guyana, Malta, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and our own countries, Switzerland and Japan.
We thank the ICC Prosecutor, Mr. Karim Khan, as well as his team, for presenting the 27th report of his Office to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Libya, in accordance with the mandate provided by Security Council resolution 1970.
We welcome the efforts undertaken by the Prosecutor’s Office and the progress achieved in all lines of inquiry identified in the renewed strategy for action on the situation in Libya. In continuation of this strategy, we welcome the development of a roadmap for completion of the investigative phase, and in this respect, we stress the importance of taking into account the views of all stakeholders, including victims and survivors.
We positively note that the cooperation between the Libyan government and the Prosecutor’s Office has increased, and we encourage further progress in this regard. Such cooperation is indispensable not only for the conclusion of the investigative phase, but also throughout the prosecutorial and judicial phases. We thus welcome the recent issuance of multiple entry-visas, as well as the constructive and substantive exchanges, including on efforts to improve complementarity, which took place during recent visits and express our hope for continued cooperation.
We also welcome and encourage the Office’s efforts to further intensify contact with victims, victims’ associations, civil society and women’s organizations. Moreover, we recognize the support provided to the Prosecutor’s Office by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), and welcome the coordinated investigative activities and international cooperation with third States and international agencies.
We reiterate that we will continue to comply with our cooperation obligations under the Rome Statute, and urge all States to fully support the Court in carrying out its important mandate of ensuring justice for the victims of the most serious crimes under international law.
Finally, we reconfirm our strong and unwavering support for the Court as an independent and impartial judicial institution. We reiterate our firm commitment to uphold and defend the principles and values enshrined in the Rome Statute, and to preserve its integrity undeterred by any threats or measures against the Court, its officials, and those cooperating with it. To conclude, we renew our resolve to stand united against impunity.
Thank you.
