Military

1 July – The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, today hailed the "historic" creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) – the world's first permanent forum for trying individuals responsible for war crimes – as a powerful tool for prosecuting and preventing atrocities.

The entry into force of the ICC's Statute "reaffirms the centrality of the rule of law in international relations," said Mr. Annan in a statement released in New York.

The Secretary-General said the Hague-based Court "holds the promise of a world in which the perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are prosecuted when individual States are unable or unwilling to bring them to justice." The ICC, he added, would also serve as a potential deterrent to future atrocities.

"I congratulate all the States parties – currently 74 – on taking the lead in ratifying the Statute, and I appeal to all States that have not yet done so to ratify or accede to it as soon as possible," Mr. Annan said. "There must be no relenting in the fight against impunity or in our efforts to prevent genocide and the other horrendous crimes that fall under the Court's jurisdiction."