Lenah
Follow us
Justice Hub
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Justice Hub
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Justice Hub
No Result
View All Result

Many ICC countries are not paying

June 22, 2015
in Justice Explained
0
0
Home Justice Explained
FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsappEmail

By Sophie van Leeuwen

Every year, the ICC’s budget comes under scrutiny. During the recent global economic downturn, several countries pressed for its costs to be reduced. And every year, there’s discussion about how much trials cost. Justice Hub decided to examine the source of the Court’s money – the members of the ASP which have signed up to the Rome Statute. Are they all paying up?

20% of countries in the red
Each country is assessed for its ICC contribution based on its global economic position: how many people live there, how much they produce, etc. Looking at the Court’s own documents, it’s clear that some countries are more dilatory than others when it comes to paying their way. In fact, one out of five ICC member states is in the red. They haven’t yet paid their dues in full.

Brazil and Venezuela
All together, the International Criminal Court is owed almost ten million dollars. This excludes outstanding bills for this year, according to the latest status of contributions of April 2015.

The biggest defaulters are Brazil and Venezuela. Brazil is 5,5 million euros in the red, without counting this year’s invoices. Venezuela owes the court 2,1 million euros and Argentina almost a million up until 2014.

Twelve countries are technically ineligible to vote during the next meeting of ICC member states because they didn’t pay in time. Tanzania has not paid its ICC bills since 2010. Niger hasn’t paid a penny since 2009.

No worries
But Fadi El-Abdallah, spokesperson of the ICC, is calm. According to his calculations, 6,6 percent of last year’s operational budget has not been paid yet.

“We are engaged in a continuous discussion with the Assembly of States Parties to ensure a common understanding of the Court’s financial situation and to establish the best ways to meet the ICC financial needs at all moments of the budget cycle.

“The ASP has also established a contingency fund of 7 million euros to allow the Court to handle any unforeseen increase in workload, for example, the opening of a new investigation.” 

No penalty
Countries like the Dominican Republic and Benin may formally lose their voting rights, but they won’t be severely punished, says El-Abdallah. “It is common that the ASP waives voting restrictions.”

States don’t even have to provide any justification for outstanding contributions and arrears, says El-Abdallah. “Different states have different budgetary proceedings and calendars, and they may decide to use the different possibilities for the payment of their contributions.”

Countries that are listed as “outstanding” have not yet paid their full contribution for this year. According to Article 112 of the Rome Statute, “a state party which is in arrears in the payment of its financial contributions shall have no vote in the Assembly…The Assembly may, nevertheless, permit such a State Party to vote in the Assembly…if it is satisfied that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the State Party.”

The ASP, the general assembly of the ICC, gathers later on Wednesday and Thursday in The Hague. The fourth item on their agenda, after a silent prayer, is states in arrears.

Tags: Assembly of States Parties (ASP)ICC (International Criminal Court)
ShareTweetShareSendSend

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform connecting conversations about international justice.

Related Posts

A legal path to justice emerges for Myanmar
Featured

A legal path to justice emerges for Myanmar

by Sean Bain
October 7, 2018
0
56

On September 27 a partial but significant foundation was laid to provide accountability for gross human rights violations in Myanmar,...

Read more
Lawfare: Iran-US nuclear deal row to play out in Hague Courtroom (Part I)

Lawfare: Iran-US nuclear deal row to play out in Hague Courtroom (Part I)

September 26, 2018
56
A trial for history: Thomas Kwoyelo in Uganda

A trial for history: Thomas Kwoyelo in Uganda

September 25, 2018
67
Celebrating women in peacekeeping

Celebrating women in peacekeeping

September 24, 2018
56
Iran wants Hague court to dull the impact of US sanctions (Part 2)

Iran wants Hague court to dull the impact of US sanctions (Part 2)

September 22, 2018
52

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform connecting conversations about international justice.

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform aimed at a worldwide audience of 18-35 year olds, especially in countries where people are looking for sustainable and innovative solutions to problems of justice, peace and security. Justice can feel too abstract, too often owned by experts. We make the conversations lively and accessible.

Follow Us

Quick Links

  • Featured
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

 

  HPPJ Forum Login
Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
No Result
View All Result
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us

© 2018 Justice Hub

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Login

Lost password?
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.

REPUBLISHING TERMS

You may republish this article online or in print under our Creative Commons license. You may not edit or shorten the text, you must attribute the article to Aeon and you must include the author’s name in your republication.

If you have any questions, please email nsharafa@gmail.com

License

Creative Commons License AttributionCreative Commons Attribution
Many ICC countries are not paying