Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 16 November 2023 — Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, the Honourable Mark Brown, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI) Secretary, Tepaeru Herrmann, met with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the margins of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) held in New York in September.
The bilateral meeting, initiated by the Office of the Prosecutor, Karim A. A. Khan KC, was an opportunity to appreciate ICC's service offering for the Pacific region and to explore possible capacity-building opportunities for legal and law enforcement professionals within the Cook Islands.
The Prosecutor expressed an interest in visiting the Pacific region to better understand the priorities of the region and how the ICC might strengthen collaboration with the region, given several Pacific countries are State Party to the Rome Statute.
The ICC was established by the Rome Statute, a Treaty which entered into force in 2002. Located in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor is responsible for investigating and prosecuting individuals responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
As a State Party to the Rome Statute, the Cook Islands is committed to supporting international efforts towards upholding the rule of law, an endeavour that directly impacts the social and economic security and prosperity of peoples the world over.