13 January 2015 – The Philippines reaffirmed its commitment to fight impunity and pushed for a rules-based international relations among States at the 13th Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) held on December 11, 2014 in New York.
Philippine Ambassador to The Netherlands and head of the Philippine delegation to the Assembly Jaime Victor B. Ledda, underscored the country’s commitment to advance global peace in his statement during the General Debate.
“Modern international relations continue to mature from one that is power-based, to one that should be rules-based. This is the power and majesty of the rule of law. Without it, there would not be international criminal justice, and without international criminal justice, global peace would not be possible,” he said.
“The Philippines affirms its commitment to fighting impunity. We condemn the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. Together, we should ensure that perpetrators account for their crimes,” he added.
Ambassador Ledda also expressed the Philippines’ support for achieving ICC universality and urged countries that have yet to ratify or accede to the Rome Statute, particularly from the Asia-Pacific region, to do so.
He added that the Philippines pays close attention to the on-going judicial proceedings, investigations, and preliminary examinations of the Court, and expressed concern about present developments.
“The work of justice is never easy. But the reality is that justice can be particularly complicated and difficult in countries affected if not devastated by violence and conflict,” the Philippine Ambassador said. END