From left to right: Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart, ICC President Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, H.E. Alfonso María Dastis, Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Registrar Herman von Hebel at the seat of the Court in The Hague © ICC-CPI
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation visits the ICC
Today, 30 January 2017, Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, H.E. Alfonso María Dastis, visited the seat of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The Minister met with ICC President Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart and Registrar Herman von Hebel. During the meeting, the Minister expressed the commitment of Spain towards the ICC and reaffirmed Spain’s support and cooperation in the framework of the Rome Statute.
The ICC President thanked the Minister for Spain’s strong support and briefed him on the current work of the Court, underlining that 2016 had been a very productive year with three judgements involving seven accused and several landmark developments such as the first conviction for destruction of cultural property. She expressed the Court’s strong commitment to tackle challenges related to efficiency and effectiveness as well as the universality of the Rome Statute, emphasising that the active support of all States Parties is essential in this regard.
Spain became a State Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on 24 October 2000 when it ratified the treaty.