We therefore welcome the call on the Secretary- General, in resolution 1888 (...

We therefore welcome the call on the Secretary- General, in resolution 1888 (2009), to offer upon request expertise that can be deployed rapidly to assist national authorities to strengthen the rule of law. That is a very important step and is fully in keeping with the principle of complementarity, one of the main pillars of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose jurisdiction kicks in only when States are unable or unwilling to prosecute at the national level. Today, the ICC is addressing sexual violence in several situations with which it is seized and thus is contributing to the fight against impunity.