The President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Sang-Hyun Song of South Korea, concluded an eight-day official trip to Southeast Asia on Sunday 13 March 2011. President Song urged states in the region to consider joining the ICC, the first permanent international court set up to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

"I was greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm and support for the ICC expressed by a wide variety of stakeholders in Southeast Asia", President Song said upon his return to The Hague. "There was a real consensus by officials and the civil society that it is time for Asia, which is already a global force in many areas such as economy and technology, to assume a stronger role in the international community's joint efforts to end impunity for the gravest crimes known to humanity, as an integral element of international peace and security. In particular, I was delighted to learn about prospects of the Philippines, Malaysia and the Maldives moving to join the Rome Statute in the near future".

The purpose of President Song's trip was to raise awareness about the ICC and to facilitate informed consultations in countries that may be considering ratification of the Rome Statute. Asia is the least represented region at the ICC, and of the 114 States Parties only two - Cambodia and Timor-Leste - are in Southeast Asia.

The Philippines
The first leg of President Song's trip was Manila, the Philippines. In their meeting on 7 March, the Philippine President Benigno C. Aquino III announced to President Song that he had signed the instrument of ratification, which would be sent to the Philippine Senate for concurrence. President Song also briefed the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Philippine Senate. The Committee Chair Senator Loren Legarda expressed her strong support of the ICC saying, "the ratification of and concurrence to the ICC by the Philippine government is a step in the right direction considering that the Philippines is a thriving and robust democracy. This will strengthen our stand in protecting human rights, including the right to human life and dignity, and will bring a strong message that we will never tolerate impunity."

During his stay in Manila, President Song addressed a civil society reception and held a lecture on ICC and Asia at the College of Law of the University of the Philippines. He gave several interviews to television and newspapers and participated in a press conference organised by the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court.