The establishment of an international criminal court has been discussed within the United Nations system for over 40 years. The debate has been marked by occasional bouts of urgency interspersed with long periods of inactivity.
The establishment by the Security Council of ad hoc Tribunals to deal with the appalling violations of human rights in the former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda had the effect, among others, of reviving the idea of establishing a permanent independent international criminal court. It also galvanised the international legal community into undertaking serious work towards its inception.
I have sought to maintain this impetus at the political and diplomatic level and I have raised the question of the establishment of a permanent international criminal court on the last three occasions upon which I have addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. Indeed, as recently as 27 September 1995, I stated at the 50th General Assembly that: