Nepal is the focus of the Coalition´s Universal Ratification Campaign (URC) for the month of April. As part of this campaign, the CICC calls upon a different country each month to join the Court. [break]
In a letter dated April 1 to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, the CICC encouraged Nepal to increase its efforts to accede to the statute. “Global support for the Rome Statute is crucial to building, strengthening, and ensuring the success of the first permanent, independent court capable of investigating and bringing to justice individuals who commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and, once defined at the Review Conference, the crime of aggression,” the letter stated.
A statement issued by CICC quoted William Pace, CICC convener, as saying that the accession to the Statute will send a clear message to the international community about Nepal´s commitment to international justice, democratic principles and the rule of law.
By April 1, some 111 states have ratified the treaty, and 139 are signatories. Bangladesh became the 111th state party and the first South Asian country to embrace the treaty.
There are currently five active investigations before the Court: Uganda; the Democratic Republic of Congo; Darfur, Sudan; Kenya and the the Central African Republic. The Court also has several situations under analysis, including in Colombia, Afghanistan, Georgia, Guinea, Palestine and Cote d´Ivoire.
Meanwhile, the foreign affairs advisor to the PM, Rajan Bhattarai, said that the prime minister is “positive” regarding the matter. He, however, said that the letter is yet to be formally delivered to the prime minister.
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