17 July  2014 - As part of the 16th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Department of Foreign Affairs took part in the ICC's social media campaign dubbed #JusticeMatters and #17July via the agency's Facebook and Twitter pages.

The move signifies the Philippine Government's support for the strengthening of a rules-based international system realized through institutions such as the ICC.

Based in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICC is an independent international body created on 17 July 1998. It is the first permanent international court that hears cases of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.

The ICC is made up of a Presidency, Judicial divisions, Office of the Prosecutor, Registry, and other offices. The United Nations Security Council may refer cases to the Prosecutor who may also start investigations.

The Rome Statute was ratified by the Philippines on 6 May 2011, with the Senate issuing its concurrence with the treaty's ratification on August 24 of the same year. The Philippines subsequently became a State Party to the ICC after it deposited the Instrument of Ratification to the Rome Statute with the United Nations in New York on 30 August 2011. END