Letter to Member States of the UN Security Council concerning efforts
by the United States to get exemptions for Peacekeepers
(12 July 2002)
To All Security Council Members
We are writing to urge that your government, as a member of the
Security Council, vote against any proposal providing exemptions for
peacekeeping personnel from the jurisdiction of the International
Criminal Court.
The trade-off you have been asked to make between peacekeeping and
justice should never be made. There is no room for compromise on
these matters. Any compromise would deal a lasting blow to the
International Criminal Court before it even takes shape.
Women all over the world have anticipated the entry into force of the
Rome Statute as it signals, finally, an end to the impunity long
enjoyed for egregious crimes against women committed in armed
conflict. The statute has set a new standard of accountability for
crimes of sexual and gender violence in that it explicitly
criminalizes rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced
pregnancy, enforced sterilization, trafficking and gender-based
persecution in an international treaty for the first time in history.
We believe that UN personnel must be held to the highest standards.
To treat such personnel, who are deployed to protect human rights and
enforce international law, as exceptional or above that law would
damage the credibility and legitimacy not only of the world's
first permanent criminal court but of UN Peacekeeping in general.
Further, history has shown, tragically, that UN Peacekeeping
personnel have not been above reproach. This is especially so when it
comes to egregious violence against women, numerous instances of
which have been documented.
The proposals which have been put forward thus far would be a
corruption of the letter and spirit of the Rome Statute and would
further be beyond the bounds of appropriate and legitimate Council
action. Thus, the integrity of two historic documents is at stake
the Rome Statute and the United Nations Charter.
These are tenuous, delicate moments and the world is watching
closely. The decision you are about to make will be recorded in
history books the world over. We urge you to do everything within
your means to ensure that the UN Security Council not act in betrayal
of justice, peace and security at the behest of the United States.
In trust,
Women's Caucus for Gender Justice
12 July, 2002 New York, NY
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