Following the major cyber-attack against the International
Criminal Court (ICC) in September 2023, the ICC’s cybersecurity
framework requires significant and immediate improvements to
protect it against future attacks of this nature. To support this
reform of the ICC’s cybersecurity posture, the Registrar –
Osvaldo Zavala Giler - established the Special Fund for Security
and called for donations by States.
The Special Fund is a time-bound fund, intended to exceptionally
provide dedicated resources to implement measures, actions, means
and initiatives in relation to enhancing digital and physical
security at the ICC.
Today, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, UK Minister of State for
the Commonwealth and the United Nations, met Registrar Zavala
Giler in London and announced a UK voluntary contribution of
£300,000 to the Court’s Special Fund for Security, funded through
the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Global Cyber
Programme. Alongside France, New Zealand, Japan, Lithuania,
Poland, Ireland and Estonia, the UK’s donation marks the fifth
contribution from a State and is the third-highest contribution
to the Fund to date. Through its contribution, the UK reaffirms
its strong support for the ICC in the face of attempts to
intimidate the Court and disrupt the ICC’s work. The UK
contribution will help to ensure the Court’s improved and
effective functioning in the new, heightened risk environment in
which it now operates.
In making the announcement, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad noted
that, “cybersecurity is a shared challenge for those
protecting and upholding the international rules-based
system.”
The UK is a strong supporter of the international rules-based
system and one of the Court’s strongest supporters. Outside of
our annual contribution to the budget, the UK has donated £1m to
the Trust Fund for Technological Innovation, £430,000 to the
Trust Fund for Victims in 2023, and £20,000 to the Trust Fund for
Family Visits. The UK has also provided specialist training
to upskill ICC investigators, including in the fields of
Open-Source Information gathering and information analysis.
