Policy Paper: Reform of the ICC’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression

Ahead of the Review Conference of the Rome Statute from the 7th to the 9th of July 2025 the Global Challenges Foundation has been supporting various efforts and organisations related to the crime of aggression. One of these efforts is a Policy Paper from the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), focused on reform of the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression. Below you can read ECCHR’s own words about the paper, and download the paper itself.

The current legal framework for the prosecution of the crime of aggression is too limited and leads to glaring accountability gaps. The ICC must be able to prosecute the crime of aggression under the same conditions that exist for the other three core international crimes. A unique opportunity for reform is approaching: A review of the jurisdictional regime is mandated to take place seven years after its activation and hence in July 2025. States parties have agreed to convene this Special Session from 7 to 9 July 2025 in New York. In April 2025, a cross-regional group of states parties submitted an amendment proposal in anticipation of this review. Against this backdrop, this information brief examines the amendment proposal and addresses some frequently asked questions on the amendment process raised by states parties and other stakeholders.