Joint statement on the situation in Libya, delivered by Mexico on behalf of the following members of the Security Council, as well as incoming members, that are States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC): Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, France, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, the United Kingdom, Ecuador, Japan, Malta, and Switzerland.
We thank ICC Prosecutor, Mr. Karim Khan, and his team, for presenting the 24th report of his Office to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Libya, in accordance with resolution 1970. We also welcome his current visit to Libya and we hope this constitutes a positive step forward in terms of cooperation with the Libyan authorities.
We recognize the steps taken by the Prosecutor’s Office to implement the renewed strategy for action in relation to the Libya situation, which was presented in the previous report. In particular, we welcome that concrete action has been taken in cooperation with relevant national authorities leading to an acceleration of evidence-collection, the arrest of suspects and a significant deepening of engagement with affected communities, victims, survival groups, and civil society organizations.
We also welcome that, for the first time since the start of the investigation in 2011, the Office of the Prosecutor has maintained a constant presence in the region. This can strengthen the Office's ability to address practical, logistical and security challenges assosiated with the investigation in a flexible manner. Once again, we recognize the support provided by United Nations Support Mission in Libya to the Prosecutor's Office, as well as processes conducted by national jurisdictions, and regional and national stakeholders including civil society.
We reiterate that we will continue to comply with our cooperation obligations under the Rome Statute and encourage all States to fully support the Court in carrying out its important mandate of ensuring justice for the victims of the most serious crimes under international law.
Finally, we reconfirm our unwavering support for the Court as an independent and impartial judicial institution of last resort, we reiterate our commitment to uphold and defend the principles and values enshrined in the Rome Statute, including the principle of complementarity, and we renew our resolve to stand united against impunity.