20th Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court

Our Foundation’s official statement to the Assembly of States Parties

As a Coalition for the ICC accredited NGO, the Stop Ecocide Foundation also submitted an official statement to the Assembly of States Parties.  Written and submitted by Chair of our Foundation, Jojo Mehta, this can be found on the ASP’s official website HERE.  

The statement was delivered in person to the ASP during the General Debate in the World Forum, The Hague on Wednesday 8th December 2021 by our Netherlands director Katy Olivia van Tergouw (right). You can watch the live presentation opposite:

Our official virtual side event: Ecocide a fifth crime defined

Co-hosted by Republic of Vanuatu, Independent State of Samoa, People's Republic of Bangladesh and Stop Ecocide Foundation, with the Co-Chairs of the Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide, in association with the Institute for Environmental Security and The Hague Peace Projects.

The event, organised by Stop Ecocide International. was a great success with over 1400 registrants and nearly 700 in attendance on the day - we think it’s probably an ICC record! In case you didn’t catch it live, please find opposite the links to the recording in all four of the available languages:

It was an honour and privilege to have no fewer than four sovereign states supporting this event - three as co-hosts (Vanuatu, Samoa and Bangladesh), and a diplomatic intervention from a fourth (Belgium - see 1hr27m on the recordings).

We were also encouraged to see that a fifth state, Finland, reiterated its support for the ecocide conversation at the ICC in its official statement to the Assembly of States Parties. 

The event was, we believe, an historic one.  For the first time it presented, in the context for which it was intended, the legal definition of ecocide, drafted this year by an independent expert panel that was both of extremely high calibre and truly diverse (geographically, by gender and ethnicity, by relevant legal expertise and in terms of professional focus).  

This definition has been well received in the political world; discussion of criminalising ecocide is now on public record in at least 18 of the ICC’s member states.  Media and civil society support is also significant and broad-ranging, from the Global Assembly to faith and youthmovements as well as the world of corporate finance.

We are, as Philippe Sands QC, co-chair of the expert drafting panel, said during the event, “absolutely convinced that this crime of ecocide will be adopted. The only issue is not whether, but when and in what form.“

We warmly invite you to watch and share the event in your networks, and to continue to follow this conversation as it gathers momentum.  It is of ever more urgent importance for all of our futures.

Event schedule and recordings