Ambassador Ali HussainDidi attends the Welcoming Ceremony at the Intl Criminal Court

Ali HussainDidi, Ambassador of Maldives to Belgium and the EU attended a welcoming ceremony for the Republic of Maldives as a new State Party, at the International Criminal Court based in The Hague, Netherlands.

The ICC President, Judge Sang-Hyun Song began the ceremony by wishing a warm welcome to the Maldives in an introductory speech and he commended the Maldives for its rapid democratization since the ratification of the 2008 Constitution:“All these developments give me confidence that Maldives will be an active participant in the ICC framework and that it will make an important contribution to the evolving system of international criminal justice”

The Vice-President of the Assembly of States Parties and Ambassador of Mexico, Jorge Lomónaco, stated on behalf of the ASP “It is therefore a big privilege for me, on behalf of the Assembly of States Parties, to congratulate Maldives once again and to extend to it a warm welcome to the growing ICC family”

Ambassador Ali HussainDidi was presented with a special edition of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court by President Sang-Hyun Song.

In his speech, Ambassador Didi thanked the members present at the ceremony for their good wish and he further stated: “It is difficult to overstate the importance of the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court.  They are the ultimate manifestation of humankind's wish to put aside our differences and to work for the common good. After 2000 years of modern human civilization, we have at last a mechanism for universal justice, a mechanism designed to ensure that every person on the planet, no matter where they live, is equal before the law and is entitled to the same rights and protections.”

Maldives ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court came into force 1st December 2011. Maldives has officially become the 118^thState Party to the International Criminal Court, and the third South Asian country after Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The ICC based in The Hague in Netherlands is an independent, permanent tribunal set up to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and can try cases relating to war crimes committed since July 2002.

The Maldives will be participating in the 10th Assembly of State for the Rome Statute being held in New York from 12-21 December for the first time this year.