Statement on the situation in Yemen
13 February 2025 – Statement by the Republic of Slovenia at the meeting on the situation in the Middle East, Yemen
Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at the briefing on the situation in Libya
Thank you very much, Mr President,
I would like to thank the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Mr Khan, for his briefing and his report. I would also like to thank him for his appeal to the Security Council that the rule of law, international humanitarian law and international law apply to all cases, to every situation on our agenda.
Erosion of compliance with the rule of law is putting in question not only the relevance of the Security Council, but the international order built with UN Charter and international law at its center. This is something I think that we should all continue to reflect on.
Mr President,
The situation in Libya is the second and unfortunately for now also the last case referred by the Security Council to the ICC. With this referral the Security Council confirmed that the most atrocious international crimes are a threat to international peace and security. For ensuring peace and security, accountability for international crimes and the fight against impunity are essential.
Therefore I will begin by expressing Slovenia’s strong and unwavering support for the ICC and for the work of the Prosecutor. We must do all we can to ensure the ICC is able to carry out its mandate independently and impartially as well as without outside interference.
Having said this I would like now to make a few points regarding the latest, 27th Prosecutor’s report on the situation in Libya.
We welcome the progress made in the investigation in the latest reporting period, especially in relation to crimes in detention facilities and crimes related to the 2014–2020 operations.
We especially welcome the significant engagement of the Prosecutor with the victims’ associations and civil society. A victim-centered approach and ensuring protection and comprehensive support empowers survivors and is extremely important for Libyans and for migrants who have suffered the most heinous crimes.
We also welcome the efforts made by the Prosecutor in the engagement with the Libyan authorities. We note positive developments and we encourage the Libyan authorities to carry on with concrete steps in ensuring continued and further improved cooperation with the Prosecutor. As emphasized in the report, the completion of the investigative phase by the end of 2025 depends on cooperation from the Libyan side.
We commend the efforts made by the Prosecutor regarding cooperation with third states. We emphasize the importance of the cooperation with the Joint Team in investigating crimes against migrants and we support the intention of the Prosecutor to continue with such engagement beyond 2025.
Mr President,
The Prosecutor intends to complete the investigation on Libya situation by the end of 2025. In this regard we welcome the roadmap presented with two core phases, the investigative phase and the judicial and complementarity phase.
We support the Prosecutor’s intention that after the completion of the investigation his engagement with victims will not cease. Victims must not be forgotten and we note the readiness of the Office of the Prosecutor to engage further with civil society and victims to address their concerns.
Lastly, I would like to emphasize that for the Court and the Prosecutor to be able to carry out their mandates it is necessary to ensure adequate financial and human resources. We will continue to support the call for additional resources, across all situations and in particular also with respect to the Libya situation.
Mr President,
It has been 13 years since the Security Council deemed the situation in Libya a threat to international peace and security and referred it to the ICC. The investigation is now near completion and the second, the judicial and complementarity phase, will begin in line with the mandate of the Council.
I will conclude by repeating that it is not possible to achieve lasting peace without justice. And to ensure justice we will continue to support the impartiality and independence of the ICC.
Thank you.
13 February 2025 – Statement by the Republic of Slovenia at the meeting on the situation in the Middle East, Yemen
12 February 2025 – Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at the meeting on the situation in the Middle East, Syria
11 February 2025 – Statement by Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, Chargé d’ affaires, at the 63rd Session of the Commission for Social Development, Agenda item 3(a) and (b), general discussion