Today, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) launched its Policy on Addressing Environmental Damage Through the Rome Statute.
The first Policy issued by the OTP in this area outlines how the Office may use its mandate and powers to investigate and prosecute Rome Statute crimes with an environmental dimension. Consistent with the OTP's mandate and its Policy on Complementarity and Cooperation, the Policy also highlights the Office's support for national efforts to investigate and prosecute environmental crimes.
At the launch event, Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan emphasised the Office's commitment: "This Policy reflects the Office's recognition of the increasingly urgent need for a comprehensive global effort to combat environmental degradation and its consequences. Through this Policy, the Office intends to ensure that it plays its due role in collective efforts to deliver environmental justice."
The ICC was established to help end impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. This mandate includes Rome Statute crimes - genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression.
Through this Policy, the Office signals its determination to assist in preventing and addressing unlawful environmental harm by conducting focused investigations and prosecutions of Rome Statute crimes that have an environmental dimension, by supporting national efforts at accountability, and by fostering cooperation with civil society and corporate actors. The Office further aims to advance international jurisprudence and best practices to strengthen global accountability for crimes that affect the environment.
In the practical implementation of this Policy, the Office will adopt an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach-bringing together diverse areas of expertise, assessing the long-term impact of environmental damage, and ensuring that children and youth have a voice in line with its Policy on Children.
The Policy is a result of a global consultation process incorporating comments received from States, civil society actors, experts, and practitioners. The process was led by the Special Adviser on War Crimes, Prof. Kevin Jon Heller, working closely with the respective Focal Points within the OTP. Furthermore, the Office appointed a multi-regional expert Advisory Group to assist in the development of the Policy. The Office wishes to thank all of the contributors whose insights informed its development.
Building on the foundation of this Policy, the Office will now translate its principles into action, ensuring that environmental accountability and justice guide its daily work.
As Deputy Prosecutor Khan affirmed: "The natural environment sustains all life, yet its destruction brings profound suffering-displacing communities, eroding cultures, and threatening human survival itself. This burden falls most heavily on the poor and marginalised, including Indigenous Peoples, women and children, for whom environmental loss often means the loss of health, livelihoods, and dignity. This is the responsibility we carry-to present and future generations, and above all to those most vulnerable to the devastation of environmental damage."
The Office extends its gratitude to the co-sponsors and hosts of the policy launch: Costa Rica, France, Germany, Marshall Islands, and Panama.
The Policy is available English, French, and Spanish.
Find the full policy here: Policy on Addressing Environmental Damage Through the Rome Statute
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