Our purpose: Promoting peace through criminal justice – preventing crimes of aggression
Through the United Nations Charter, States have expressed their commitment “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. They have agreed to renounce the illegal threat or use of force, and to settle their disputes “by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered”. States have the legal duty to abide by this commitment and the UN Security Council has the primary responsibility to enforce it.The Nuremberg Trials made it clear that criminal justice also has an important role to play for the promotion of peace and the deterrence of acts of aggression – though it remained limited and theoretical for many decades thereafter. With the 2010 Kampala amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, States Parties created a new mechanism to enforce the most important rule of international law: the prohibition of the illegal use of force under the United Nations Charter. This website is dedicated to making accountability a reality.
News
Keynote address at the 2026 Nuremberg Forum: On 7 October 2026, GIPA member Prof. Dr. Claus Kreß delivered the keynote address at the 2026 Nuremberg Forum dealing with the current situation of the crime of aggression 80 years after the Nuremberg trial. For his keynote address, see here.
Remarks of GIPA Convenor Professor Jennifer Trahan, Case Western Reserve University School of Law: On October 1, 2026 the Case Western Reserve University School of Law hosted a symposium on “The Legacy of Nuremberg: An International Conference Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Judgment”. GIPA Convenor Professor Jennifer Trahan’s remarks address whether the United States, in its policies and practices, has repudiated the lessons from the prosecutions before the International Military Tribunal (“IMT”) at Nuremberg. For her remarks, see here.
Conference in Montreal: Six members of the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression were in Montreal, speaking at the conference “Canada and the International Use of Force Regime: Preserving, Reforming, and Rebuilding the Rules-Based Order”. It was hosted at McGill University, Faculty of Law, on September 18, 2026.
Christian Wenaweser served as Keynote speaker. Noah Weisbord organized along with David Donat Cattin. Jennifer Trahan and Bill Schabas served as panelists, with Judge Daniel Nsereko joining. The event was at capacity, with some of the most prominent Canadian academics and NGOs contributing as panelists, and representatives of the Government of Canada and law students attending. The conference served to highlight the 2029 deadline for the harmonization amendment and urged Canada to change its position.
Updated Paper for States: On 5 August 2026, the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression published an updated policy paper that summarizes why states parties should ratify the Kampala crime of aggression amendments. For the paper, see here.
Book on the Crime of Aggression and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Congratulations to Professor Jennifer Trahan on the launch of her new book The Crime of Aggression and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine (TMC Asser Press 2026). The 300 page book explores the history of the crime of aggression from the 1800s to the present. It traces 
the events leading to, and including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, analyzing why the elements of the crime of aggression are satisfied. The book goes on to describe the various efforts to establish a special tribunal for the crime of aggression in the situation. It analyzes the key features of the agreement reached between the Council of Europe and Ukraine to establish such a tribunal. The book culminates in an explanation of why broader jurisdiction over the crime of aggression is needed, and explores the efforts to harmonize the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction over all four Rome Statute crimes. For more details, see here.