Despite the active participation of many Asia and Pacific governments at the Rome Conference, meetings of the Preparatory Commission and Assembly of States Parties, as well as current representation at the International Criminal Court (ICC) by Judge Sang-Hyun Song of the Republic of Korea and Judge Fumiko Saiga of Japan, the region remains significantly underrepresented at the ICC. To date, only 17 States, including Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Japan, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Nauru, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Samoa, the Philippines, Timor Leste and Vanuatu have become States Parties to the ICC. Although the Salomon Islands and Thailand have signed the Statute, they still need to ratify the ICC treaty. Actively working toward increasing ratifications of the Rome Statute remains a key priority for the Coalition in this region.
Recognizing the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of the Rome Statute into national law, ICC legislation has been enacted in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and Samoa, and significant government strides have been carried out in Afghanistan, Mongolia, Fiji and Timor Leste. In many of these cases, partner civil society groups have worked closely with governments through roundtables and discussions, commenting on and enriching the drafts. This crucial step of implementation will ultimately help States strengthen the rule of law and develop sustainable national legal systems which apply the highest standards of justice.