In a joint statement published on GOV.UK, states party to the Rome Statute have restated their support for the International Criminal Court, with the emphasis placed on the Court's independence, judicial neutrality and institutional integrity. For Policy Wire readers, the significance is that the intervention is framed as a defence of the Court as an institution, not simply as a diplomatic gesture. The language indicates that pressure on the ICC is being treated as a wider test of support for international justice arrangements.
The statement then turns directly to the United States announcement of sanctions against the Court. The signatories say they regret the move and strongly disagree with it, making this one of the clearest policy positions in the text. That matters because the signatories are not only reaffirming support for the ICC in general terms. They are also objecting to punitive measures which, on their reading, would interfere with the Court's ability to carry out its treaty-based mandate under the Rome Statute.
The GOV.UK text also notes that the Court has been preparing for possible restrictions so it can continue fulfilling that mandate. The signatories say they support those preparations and back efforts to keep the institution functioning if sanctions are brought into effect. This takes the statement beyond symbolism. It shows that member states are already focused on continuity and on the practical conditions needed for the Court to keep operating under legal and political pressure.
A further passage sets out the likely cost of any measures that move from announcement to enforcement. The signatories warn that sanctions would have a significant effect on the Court's work and would also be felt by staff members and their families. That wording is notable because it brings operational and personal consequences into the same frame. The statement presents ICC personnel as people engaged in pursuing accountability for the most serious international crimes and in supporting victims through that process.
On the diplomatic track, the statement says support for the Court will sit alongside continued engagement with non-States Parties. The signatories commit to constructive and inclusive dialogue as preparations continue for the Assembly of States Parties in December 2026. In policy terms, that is a signal against institutional isolation. The message from the GOV.UK statement is that disagreement over sanctions does not remove the case for dialogue with governments outside the Rome Statute system, even as member states prepare to defend the Court more openly.
Taken together, the statement amounts to a pre-Assembly marker on sanctions policy, court independence and the wider rules-based international system. The immediate position from the signatories is clear: the ICC should be able to discharge its mandate without external coercion. For officials, legal practitioners and civil society organisations following the issue, the practical reading is straightforward. States Parties are preparing to support the Court politically and administratively while the sanctions debate continues, with accountability and institutional continuity likely to remain central themes in December 2026.