The Crime of Aggression and Challenges to International Jurisdiction

On April 17, 2026, King’s College London Department of War Studies hosted the first public event of the 2026–27 GIPA Campaign to Strengthen ICC Jurisdiction on the Crime of Aggression, The Crime of Aggression and Challenges to International Jurisdiction. Moderated by Dr. Maria Varaki, Co-Chair of the KCL War Crimes Research Group, the event brought together leading legal experts to examine the challenges facing international jurisdictions in prosecuting the crime of aggression.

Discussions focused on the operationalization of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, ongoing efforts to reform Article 15 bis of the Rome Statute, and broader challenges related to accountability, jurisdictional limitations, and impunity. Panelists emphasized the need for stronger international legal mechanisms to address aggression and called for meaningful reforms ahead of the 2029 Special Session of the Assembly of States Parties.

The event featured the following speakers:

Dr. Maria Varaki, King’s College London, Department of War Studies; Chair, War Crimes Research Group

Dr. Mark Ellis, Executive Director, International Bar Association (IBA)

Dr. Astrid Reisinger Coracini, Senior Scientist, Salzburg University; Member of the Steering Committee, Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression (GIPA)

Professor Noelle Quenivet, Director of Research and Enterprise and Professor in International Law, Bristol Law School, University of West of England (UWE)

Dr. David Donat Cattin, Adjunct Professor of Int. Law, NYU Center for Global Affairs; Senior Fellow, Montreal Institute for Global Security; Projects’ Coordinator & Member of the Steering Committee, GIPA

You can watch the event here.

A summary of the event can be found here.