General Assembly
Official Records
Fifty-fourth Session
Supplement No. 1 (A/54/1)

Chapter V

The International Criminal Court

261. Eighty-four States have now signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Four have ratified the statute, which will enter into force after ratification by 60 States. At the request of the General Assembly in December 1998, I convened the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court established by the Rome Conference. The Commission held its first session in February 1999 and its second in July-August. A third session will be held in November-December.

262. The Preparatory Commission has made some progress in drafting the Rules of Procedure and Evidence and the Elements of Crimes for the future Court, but much remains to be done if the deadline of 30 June 2000 set by the Rome Conference is to be met. In the meantime, I urge Member States to ratify the statute and take the necessary steps for its implementation.