Mr President,

I would like to first commend Somalia for organizing this timely and important debate and thank the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Judge Yusuf, and the Secretary-General for their important contributions.

The rule of law lies at the very heart of the international order. If we do not adhere to international law, trust between states will inevitably erode. If there is no accountability for serious crimes within states, societies will not be able to achieve sustainable peace.

But how do we strengthen international law with all the conflict we are seeing? We strengthen it by learning from the past, building on successes that we’ve seen and made, by enhancing knowledge about the significance of international law, and by working concretely on its development.

And I would like to be very concrete in the following three points:

First: the deliberations last week in the Preparatory Committee for the Convention on Crimes against Humanity underlined that, unlike genocide and war crimes, crimes against humanity are not yet governed by a universal treaty dedicated to their prevention and punishment. Germany firmly believes that this normative gap must be closed. We call upon all Member States to engage in the negotiations in order to ensure an outcome of global and historical importance.

Second, in 1994 this Council established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Not only did this court make history in handing down the first international judgement based on the 1948 Genocide Convention. But it also contributed to the legal developments of establishing international jurisdiction over crimes against humanity. And it contributed to justice and accountability after the atrocious genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. And I would like to recall this, and maybe to revisit the judgements of the ICTR for their historic relevance on the legal distinction between genocide and crimes against humanity.

Furthermore: Clarity in the law goes hand in hand with clarity in the facts. Conflicts often arise, as an example, around border disputes. Certainty about borders can avoid conflict, war and suffering. And I would like to highlight the African Union border program, which is, as many of you undoubtedly know, a delimitation and demarcation project to clarify legally and factually the exact line of over 9.000 kilometers of borders between several countries in Africa. And my country has been proud to support this initiative since 2008 with over 90 million USD.

Mr President,

Germany is particularly committed to international law and international criminal law, not in the least because of our own history. Eighty years ago, in the wake of devastation and unprecedented human suffering, a new international order began to take shape. The Nuremberg Trials were revolutionary because they introduced a new principle in international law: that individuals should be held accountable for grave violations of international law.

And this legacy is still visible today. Three years ago, almost four, in 2022, the judgement of the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz in Germany convicted a man for crimes against humanity for his crimes committed in a prison in Damascus. This is one of the prominent examples of how Germany is committed to ensuring accountability and bringing justice to the victims of such crimes.

Excellencies, to sum up:

Let us all learn from the past that peace and justice are inseparable, that international law plays a decisive role in keeping the peace between nations, and, after conflict, in finding back the way to peace. Let us reconfirm that respect for each other requires us to prevent the recurrence of any more crimes against humanity and that adhering to international law is at the heart of preventing conflict and keeping the peace. And let us strengthen international law by supporting the UN and its institutions, including the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court and by reforming the institution, and reforming those parts that have had a need for reform for a long time, including the Security Council.

I would like to assure you that Germany stands ready to do its part in working with all of you and in this endeavor. Thank you very much.