Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the International Criminal Court.

The UK has always been, and remains, a strong supporter of an effective International Criminal Court (ICC). We believe that positive reform is required for the ICC to fulfil its mandate as intended under the Rome Statute and we are working with the Court and other States Parties to achieve this

The UK welcomed the establishment of the Independent Expert Review as part of an inclusive State Party driven process for identifying and implementing measures to strengthen the Court and improve its performance. The Independent Experts published their final report in September 2020; it is essential that States Parties engage with the recommendations in the report and take forward the work to ensure the necessary changes are implemented to strengthen the Court. We look forward to continuing to work with States Parties, the Court and civil society to make sure this happens

The election of two highly qualified UK nationals, Judge Joanna Korner QC and Karim Khan QC to the roles of Judge and Prosecutor to the ICC respectively, will further serve reform of the Court.