Topic: Strengthening the International Criminal Court
Country: France
Delegate Name: Bob Wang
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All France position papers GLIMUN 2011 committees
The role of the International Criminal Court, or ICC, is to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community; crimes include: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression. The ICC is the first treaty-based, permanent, international criminal court and also is an independent international organization, which means it is not part of the United Nations. Not being apart of any league, union, or group means that membership and support for the ICC comes directly from the choice and belief of the individual country. Thus, as more countries join and support the ICC, the stronger its rulings will be upheld.
The French Republic has signed and ratified the Rome Statute and has become one of the 117 states that are states parties to the Statute of the Court. France fully supports the ICC and its role as an international persecutor against inhumane crimes.
Ideally, the best way for the ICC to rule would be with the support of every nation. However, issues such as national sovereignty and the possible persecution of their own nation have caused countries, such as the United States, the Russian Federation, and the People’s Republic of China, to refuse to support the ICC. However, France recognizes the restraint of the ICC, which only allows them to persecute certain crimes. Therefore, allowing for national sovereignty to remain intact. The French Republic urges countries like the United States to set aside petty thoughts like yours and mine and believe in a future of world peace, where nations work together and support each other, and in order to do so, supporting the ICC is the first step.
