The Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was adopted on 17 July 1998 by an overwhelming majority of the states attending the Rome Conference. Included in that body of like-minded nations was a large number of African delegations, and of 54 African states, 44 have signed and 15 - South Africa amongst them - have ratified the statute. At a global level, the Rome Statute has currently been signed by 139 states and 76 have ratified it, with the US its most significant absentee. It has been remarkable that within four years the treaty achieved the 60 required ratifications. The statute entered into force on 1 July 2002, at which time the Court's jurisdiction over genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity took effect (the statute does not have retrospective effect).