أ) أهداف التعهد
Enforcement of IHL when violations occur is a critical component of preventing their recurrence. One of the most important elements of national implementation of IHL obligations is the enactment of a comprehensive legal framework for effective prosecution and punishment of serious violations of IHL.
In a context where the number of armed conflicts and serious violations of IHL are multiplying, the aim of this pledge is to consolidate at the national and international levels the frameworks for combating impunity for war crimes and other core international crimes.
ب) خطة العمل:
At national level, the EU Member States intend to:
- consider reviewing their national legislation to ensure that it adequately implements the obligation to investigate and prosecute persons alleged to have committed, or to have ordered to be committed, serious violations of IHL and other core international crimes;
- in this context, to consider ensuring in particular that the jurisdiction of their criminal courts is established irrespective of the nationality of the persons accused and where the acts were committed, and that these acts are not covered by any statute of limitations contrary to international law;
- to consider ratifying the Ljubljana – The Hague Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and other International Crimes.
The EU and its Member States intend to establish, where appropriate in coordination with the European network of contact points in respect of persons responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and with EUROJUST, a directory of Member States’ best practices in the prosecution of serious violations of IHL and other core international crimes in order to facilitate and promote the sharing of experience with all interested States.
At international level, the EU and its Member States pledge to
- in line with the principle of complementarity, support the work and efficient functioning of the International Criminal Court as an important actor in the global fight against impunity, including the continued protection of the independence of the Court and the integrity of the Rome Statute;
- together with the ICC, other interested States, international organizations and non-governmental organizations promote and raise awareness of the ICC;
- include the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern as one of the shared values of the EU and its partners through the insertion of provisions concerning the ICC and international justice into its relevant agreements with candidate countries and third parties;
- work towards the universalization of the Rome Statute, inter alia by supporting third States interested in receiving assistance in order to become party to the Rome Statute or to implement it;
- support the fight against impunity for international crimes worldwide, among others via the project “Global initiative to fight against impunity for international crimes: make justice work!”. This project will complement EU support to the independent accountability mechanisms established by the Human Rights Council, and under international criminal law.
ج) مؤشرات قياس التقدم المحرز
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د) الآثار المترتبة على الموارد:
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