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Document Type

Blog Posting

Language

English (en)

Publication Date

2024

Publication Title

Just Security

Abstract

On Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, the United Nations Sixth (Legal) Committee took a pivotal decision to advance toward negotiations on a global treaty regarding the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity. The move is the latest in a series of discussions that has taken place over the past six years and brings States one step closer to finally closing the nearly 80-year-old gap in international law to comprehensively address these grave crimes.

We have been tracking this process together since 2021 in a Just Security series on the potential draft treaty, and in a recent article we chronicled the discussions in October 2024 that preceded this decision. The Crimes Against Humanity Initiative, an effort to analyze the need for a comprehensive treaty and define its elements, directed by one of us (Leila Sadat) has also published a comprehensive report each year cataloging State responses to the proposed treaty. We have observed that over the years, State support for the negotiation of a new treaty has consistently grown as the need for the new legal instrument has become increasingly and painfully evident. With a decision made, we’ll look what it took (and what was lost) to adopt a resolution on the basis of consensus, the process established by the resolution, and the road ahead.

Keywords

Accountability, Civil Society, Crimes Against Humanity, Diplomacy, Gender, International Courts, International Criminal Court (ICC), international justice, Proposed Crimes Against Humanity Treaty, Russia, UN General Assembly (UNGA), United States (US)

Publication Citation

Leila Nadia Sadat & Akila Radhakrishnan, Key UN Committee Clears Path for Crimes Against Humanity Treaty Negotiations, Just Security (Dec. 2, 2024), https://www.justsecurity.org/105305/cah-treaty-negotiations-passes-sixth-committee/

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