PRESS RELEASE Reclaiming the promise of accountability: The Global Initiative Against Impunity’s Urgent Call to Action on the European Union Day Against Impunity
POLICY BRIEF May 23, 2025
The Global Initiative Against Impunity (GIAI) thishumains year’s EU Day Entreprises etmarks droits : Against Impunity with grave concern,doit as international and accountability face escalating internationaux threats and direct La Tunisie se saisirjustice pleinement des instruments attacks. Armed conflicts, state violence, and mass atrocities are on the rise across the globe, while many governments and international institutions remain largely silent in the face of widespread impunity and the increasing application of double standards. This selective inaction undermines the rights of victims and reinforces narratives that dehumanise the survivors of the most serious crimes. We call on the EU and its Member States to take firm, bold, and concerted measures to uphold human rights and protect international justice mechanisms. This effort must be driven by a renewed commitment to victims and survivors. We must guarantee assistance to those who call for justice and ensure that their rights, voices, and needs remain central to all justice and accountability processes. European countries and their allies recently commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II but the current global turmoil and staggering surge in armed conflicts cast a shadow on the celebrations. Civilians, particularly women and children,1 bear the brunt of the violence. Mass casualties and the collapse of the rules-based order are more than collateral damage. They are the result of deliberate policy failures and legal inaction that demand urgent correction. For nearly a year, civil society organisations have been raising the alarm over the unprecedented sanctions and threats against the International Criminal Court (ICC) that have jeopardised the Court’s fundamental work for victim and survivors worldwide. In a climate of mounting pressure on accountability, states’ breach of their legal obligations and failure to uphold the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) further undermine the efforts made to bring justice to where it is most needed. The credibility and effectiveness of the international justice system depend on consistent support and compliance. The European Parliament has echoed these concerns and, on several occasions, has called on the EU to respond to attacks on international justice – this includes activating protective mechanisms such as the Blocking Statute. A robust and united response has yet to materialise considering Italy’s and Hungary’s failure to execute ICC arrest warrants and Hungary announcing its withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the ICC, 1 2024 was one of the worst years on record for children living in conflict zones in UNICEF’s history. According to the UN agency, more than one in six children globally now live in areas affected by conflict.