Mrs. Miriama Betham – Malielegaoi, Chargé d’ affaires of the Permanent Mission of Samoa delivered the national statement during the 36th plenary meeting of the General Assembly whereby the report of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was presented by the President of the ICC, Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi.
The statement welcomed the constructive report of the ICC and noted with satisfaction the number of State Parties to the Rome Statue which is now 124. Mrs Malielegaoi reiterated the continuous support of Samoa to the Court and its full commitments to the principles of the Rome Statute and the Rule of Law. One of the key demonstrations of the support illustrated by Samoa to the Court was its’ host of the President of the ICC during the 48th Pacific Island Forum held in Apia Samoa last September 2017.
The President of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly, H.E Miroslav Lajčák upon opening the 36th Session of the General Assembly emphasized two points regarding the work of the court. One, the role of the court in delivering justice as a complementary role to states as having the primary responsibility to exercise criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for serious crimes. Two, the preventative role of the court whereby it has become an instrument to prevent international crimes and strengthen the enforcement of the international law which assists to deter potential perpetrators from carrying out or continuing criminal conduct.