The Czech government on Tuesday ratified the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Czech Republic officially joins the Rome Statute on 1 October, bringing the total number of states that are party to the treaty to 110.
 

The US has famously refused to ratify the 1998 Statute. Other major powers that are still not party to the Statute are India, China and Russia. And from the Arab League, so far only one member - Jordan - has ratified the treaty.

Other regions show a more positive trend. Chile formally joined the ICC earlier this summer. With Chile's ratification, each of the 13 countries in South America is now a member of the Hague Court. And in Central America, there is only a small number of countries - including Cuba - that are yet to join the court.

The Rome Statute came into force once sixty countries had ratified it, on 1 July 2002. But even with 110 state parties, the Court still faces major challenges. It has found it almost impossible to bring some of the indicted war criminals to trial.

African member states of the ICC - which make up the largest regional group - have condemned the indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. They continue to call for a one-year suspension of the indictment under Article 16 of the Statute.