13th Ratification of Aggresssion Amendments Due Tomorrow

There are now 12 ratifications of the amendments to the Rome Statute on the crime of aggression: Liechtenstein (8 May 2012), Samoa (25 September 2012), Trinidad and Tobago (13 November 2012), Luxembourg (15 January 2013), Estonia (27 March 2013), Germany (3 June 2013), Botswana (4 June 2013), Cyprus (25 September 2013), Slovenia (25 September 2013), Andorra (26 September 2013), Uruguay (26 September 2013) and Belgium (26 November 2013). Tomorrow, Croatia will deposit its instruments of ratification, making it number 13 in the list of ratifications.

According to the information available, government or parliamentary officials in at least the following States Parties are currently actively working on the ratification of the amendments on the crime of aggression: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland.

In Ghana, Guatemala, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Macedonia (FYROM) and Venezuela, the process is in its early stages.

At the twelfth session of the Assembly of States Parties in The Hague on 20 and 21 November 2013, Czech Republic and Slovakia stated their concrete commitment to ratify the amendments on the crime of aggression. Other States Parties made positive references to the Kampala Amendments on the crime of aggression, including Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo and Guatemala.

In order to enter into force, the amendments require 30 ratifications. They cannot enter into force prior to 2017. There have been 13 ratifications over the past 17 months. If the pace continues, the thirty ratifications should be obtained well before 2017.