For many years, the United Nations held a series of meetings to establish an independent and permanent structure – the International Criminal Court (ICC) – to deal with the gravest international crimes and gross violations of international humanitarian law. This dream became a reality in July, 17, 1998, when the Rome Statute was agreed upon by 120 nations. Some four years later, on July 1, 2002, the ICC was established and of 2010, 111 have ratified the Rome Statue. ICC is thus a product of a multilateral treaty whereas the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunal of Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (ICTR) were created by decision of the Security Council.

The ICC, a permanent entity situated in The Hague, Netherlands, offers a new paradigm of accountability, equality and justice in dealing with the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. This chapter provides a brief account of its structure and functioning, of its ongoing investigations and trials, as well as the challenges inherent in executing the mission of Rome Statue.