Photo by OPCW, CC BY 2.0

On July 9, 2025, the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court adopted by consensus Resolution ICC-ASP/S-1/Res.1, initiating a multi-year process to review the amendments to the Rome Statute on the crime of aggression.

The resolution noted that, although 49 of 125 states parties have ratified the Kampala Amendments, no investigation into the crime of aggression has been conducted since the Court’s jurisdiction was activated. It also acknowledges that states parties remain divided: some view the current framework as creating a jurisdictional gap and support harmonizing the crime of aggression with the Court’s jurisdiction over other core crimes, while others argue that the Kampala compromise should be preserved.

The resolution annexed a proposal to amend Article 15bis, which was submitted by Costa Rica, Germany, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Vanuatu. The proposed amendment would modify the conditions under which the Court may exercise jurisdiction over aggression. The Assembly of States Parties did not adopt the proposed amendment. Instead, it established a dedicated subgroup of the Working Group on Amendments, scheduled an intersessional meeting in 2027, and decided to convene a Special Session in 2029 to consider the proposal and discuss additional options for strengthening the Court’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression.