Ireland to give €3 million funding boost to International Criminal Court

Ireland to give €3 million funding boost to International Criminal Court

Ireland has agreed to provide an additional €3 million in funding to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The funding announcement, made by foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney on a visit to Kyiv last week, includes €1 million to be disbursed immediately to the Office of the Prosecutor.

Mr Coveney said: “I discussed with foreign minister Kuleba this morning the essential need for accountability for the appalling acts committed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I met the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, earlier this week, and I know his office is working closely with the office of the Ukrainian prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktiva.

“It is essential in all situations where war crimes may have been committed to undertake investigations and ensure the collection of evidence including in relation to crimes of sexual and gender-based violence and to provide support for witnesses, victims and survivors.

“This year, we will mark 20 years since the the entry into force of the Rome Statute – the treaty that established the International Criminal Court. We collectively agreed that we were determined to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

Karim A. A. Khan QC has appealed to all state parties to the ICC to provide assistance in order to address the urgent resource needs of his office following the commencement of a formal investigation into the situation in Ukraine, which has significantly increased the prosecutor’s workload.

Ireland previously announced it would make a voluntary contribution of €150,000 to his office.

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