At a side event in the margins of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the President of the International Bar Association (IBA), Claudio Visco, and IBA Executive Director, Dr Mark Ellis, called for States Parties' full and effective cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to strengthen accountability for international crimes.
Co-organised by the IBA and the Permanent Mission of Belgium in Geneva , the event, held in Geneva, Switzerland on 23 March 2026, aimed to raise awareness of the ICC's mandate and the critical role played by state cooperation, particularly for the execution of arrest warrants. Panellists explored synergies between the ICC and UNHRC with a focus on how to improve coordination among international accountability mechanisms. The Permanent Missions of The Gambia, Mexico, and Slovenia co-sponsored the session.
Delivering opening remarks, IBA President Visco said: 'The relationship between the UN Human Rights Council and the ICC is complementary and mutually reinforcing. The Council's mechanisms help document violations and lay the foundations for accountability, and the Court serves as the international judicial institution mandated to prosecute individuals responsible for the most serious international crimes, when states are unwilling or unable to do so. The IBA is a strong and steadfast supporter of the ICC and the Rome Statute system, and we call on States Parties to respect their legal obligations to cooperate with the Court.'
Panellists included HE Dr Ana Polak Petrič, the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Germany; Nazhat Shameem Khan, ICC Deputy Prosecutor; Osvaldo Zavala Giler, the ICC Registrar; Beatriz Balbin Chamorro, Chief of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Human Rights Inquiries Branch; and IBA Executive Director Dr Mark Ellis. The session was moderated by HE Ambassador Christophe Payot, the Permanent Representative of Belgium to the UN and other organisations in Geneva.
Dr Ellis stated: 'There is no doubt that the Court now finds itself in the most complex political circumstances since its inception. At a time when the international rules-based order is increasingly under strain, it is essential that states remain unwavering in their support for the ICC. This requires not only rhetorical commitment but concrete action whether as States Parties to the Rome Statute, as members of the Human Rights Council, or in their individual capacities.'
Mr Giler commented: 'We are facing attacks against the accountability framework that safeguards human rights, and global peace and security. This calls for action and enhanced cooperation in such a critical moment, recognising that the fight against impunity is a shared responsibility, which does not distinguish between the work done in The Hague or in Geneva, or in the field.'
The event also provided an opportunity to share the IBA International Criminal Court and International Criminal Law (ICC & ICL) Programme's recommendations to improve State cooperation with the ICC, detailed in the 2025 report Pursuing the Arrest and Surrender of Suspects at Large to the International Criminal Court: A Guide for States Parties to the Rome Statute
