Rome Statute

17 July 1998 (in force 2002) · Rome

Global: UN, law & climate

Background

Adopted at a UN conference in Rome by 120 votes to 7. The ICC is a court of last resort that acts only when national courts cannot or will not. It has issued arrest warrants for leaders in office, including Russia's Vladimir Putin (2023) and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu (2024).

Signed by

Open to all states

Why it matters

Created the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague to try genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. Pakistan, India, the USA and China are not members.