On 17 February 2022, H.E. Mr Iván Duque Márquez, President of the Republic of Colombia, visited the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he met the President of the Court, Judge Piotr Hofmański, the Court’s First Vice President, Judge Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, Second Vice President Judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua, Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan QC and Registrar Peter Lewis.
In his remarks at the meeting, President Hofmański thanked President Duque for honouring the Court with his visit and stated: “The commitment and full cooperation of States is essential for the ICC to be able to discharge its mandate independently and effectively. In this context, Colombia’s continued support for the Court is of vital importance and much appreciated.”
President Duque reiterated Colombia’s commitment to the guiding principles of the Rome Statute and manifested President Piotr Hofmański and Registrar Peter Lewis his “admiration for the International Criminal Court and the work it has been carrying out, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic”. He expressed his appreciation for “the efforts that the Court is doing to ensure that victims of the most heinous crimes can obtain justice, even during these difficult circumstances”.
Additionally, President Duque recalled that “the Cooperation Agreement between the government of Colombia and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, signed in Bogotá in October 2021, marks a milestone in the relationship between his country and the ICC”, and affirmed that his encounter with Prosecutor Karim Khan was a propitious opportunity to further develop it. He highlighted that “Colombia has an enormous experience in the field of transitional justice” and stressed the importance of said agreement, as “it opens new ways to share that know-how with the ICC and its States Parties, always looking towards the compliance of the objectives of the Rome Statute”.
Colombia President H.E. Mr Iván Duque Márquez and ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan QC on 17 February 2022 ©ICC-CPI
The visit of President Duque Márquez to the ICC highlights Colombia’s support to the Court and the joint efforts deployed in the fight against the impunity of the perpetrators of the most serious crimes that affect the international community as a whole.