In the spirit of humanity and peace the assembled current and former international prosecutors and their representatives here at the Chautauqua Institution…
Recognizing the continuing need for justice and the rule of law as the foundation of international peace and security, and cognizant of the legacy of all those who preceded us at Nuremberg and elsewhere:
Commend Allyson Caison and Christina Cowger, leaders of North Carolina Stop Torture Now, as the tenth recipients of the Joshua Heintz Humanitarian Award for their important and impressive service to humanity;
Note with sadness the passing of Kofi Annan and The Right Honorable Sir
Desmond DeSilva, QC and commend their long-term service to international peace and security;
Note with great concern the use of the Security Council veto to block appropriate responses to atrocity crimes and obstruct the efforts to provide justice to victims;
Welcome and commend the innovative approaches by national and international bodies to coordinate efforts to provide access to justice for victims of atrocity crimes;
Commend the international community for creating the International Impartial Independent Mechanism for Syria;
Note the right of all members of the global community to be protected and the obligation of States to protect all victims of atrocity crimes and provide access to justice at both the national and international level;
Commend the important contributions of the International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia, which ceased its operations on December 31, 2017, to international criminal justice and the development of international criminal law;
Note the ongoing work of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the challenges it continues to face;
Recall the importance of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court in the fight against impunity for atrocity crimes and the strengthening of a rules-based global order;
Note the importance of supporting the continuing legal obligations of the
international courts and tribunals as they enter into their residual phases; and
Note with regret the failure of some States to address past and ongoing violations of international and national law.
Now do solemnly declare and call upon the international community to keep the spirit of the Nuremberg Principles alive by:
Ratifying and joining the International Criminal Court family of nations with the ultimate goal of achieving universality;
Ensuring that all States Parties to the Rome Statute fully support and cooperate with the International Criminal Court, and fully comply with their statutory obligations, including through the provision of adequate resources and the timely arrest and surrender of suspects against whom arrest warrants have been issued;
Supporting grassroots efforts, which contribute significantly to the fight against impunity and provide redress to victims of atrocity;
Fully funding mechanisms that are carrying out the continuing legal obligations of the international courts and tribunals until the conclusion of their mandates; and
Utilizing the work of initiatives such as the International Impartial Independent Mechanism for Syria as a basis for domestic prosecutions of atrocity crimes.
