A sufficient budget


Each year governments spend trillions waging war. With a budget of just under €140 million in 2016, the ICC is a sound investment for peace.

The ICC is a young international institution and not yet reached its full judicial workload. Governments must ensure that the Court has sufficient resources to meet the growing demands for justice for grave crimes occurring all around the world.

Since the ICC was first set up, civil society has been working to ensure that governments’ financial contributions allow the Court to function independently, fairly and effectively.


Ensuring states allocate appropriate resources

International criminal investigations, prosecutions and trials cannot be conducted effectively unless they are supported through field presence, witness protection, legal aid, outreach and victim participation activities. The ICC budget must reflect these needs.

We inform ICC member states about the importance of granting the ICC the means needed to fulfill its mandate and strongly oppose arbitrary budget cuts.

The Court's budget should be based on what it needs to bring justice to victims of grave crimes wherever they may be in the world.

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How the ICC budget is decided and paid for

ICC states parties pay a yearly contribution based on their gross national income. The ICC registrar coordinates the initial drafting of the Court’s budget, which is then approved by the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) at each of its annual meetings. 

A subsidiary expert body of the ASP—the Committee on Budget and Finance (CBF) —assists with this complex budgeting process throughout the year. Final approval of the Court’s budget is then given by the ASP at its annual session.

For more information on the work of the CBF and the ICC’s budget, visit the ASP website and the webpage of the Committee on Budget and Finance.

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Monitoring the ICC budget

Civil society attends the annual session of the Committee on Budget and Finance, which take place twice per year, and meetings of the Hague Working Group on budget issues, in order to monitor states’ positions on the budget. The Coalition coordinates civil society's substantial input to the development and adoption of the ICC’s budget each year. We urge the Court to deliver a rigorous, disciplined budget based on transparent practices, strategies and assumptions. We then urge governments to give the ICC the resources it needs to deliver meaningful justice.

How do I learn more?
Contact the Coalition [cicc-hague@coalitionfortheicc.org]  

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