Since 2009, when it hosted the world’s first conference on the topic, Washington University in Saint Louis School of Law has been at the forefront of the development of a treaty on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity. In 2024, the process reached an essential milestone as UNGA Resolution 79/122 moved negotiations out of the United Nations Sixth (Legal) Committee and set out a five-year process—starting in 2025 as a preparatory year and then moving forward from 2026-2029—for States to negotiate and conclude a new global treaty.
Given the project’s success, WashU Law is excited to host this Symposium, dedicated to assessing, analyzing, and continuing to support ongoing work on crimes against humanity at the United Nations.
This Symposium will first focus on the process that led to the elaboration of draft articles for a new treaty by the UN International Law Commission, the content of the draft articles, and the process that led to the adoption of Resolution 79/122. Next, speakers will provide insight into what can be expected over the next five years as negotiations begin in earnest, the hurdles the process may face, and the path forward as the world moves toward a global agreement on the prevention and punishment of horrific crimes which, unfortunately, continue to occur every day.
The Symposium will convene experts who have contributed to this sixteen-year process, as well as experts in international criminal law and public international law. We are particularly excited about this opportunity, given the extraordinary contributions of the teams of WashU Law students and alumni who have worked on the project since its inception.
Conference Schedule
Thursday, March 20th, 2025
Welcome & Introductory Remarks (Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom)
12:00 – 1:20 pm
Professor MJ Durkee (Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute)
Susan Wu (International Law Society)
Adesola Orogade (Editor-in-Chief, Global Studies Law Review)
Zej Moczydlowski (Managing Editor, Global Studies Law Review; President, Law Veterans Association)
Keynote Address:
Colonel Brenda Hollis (USAF, Ret.) (Former Chief Prosecutor, Special Court for Sierra Leone)
1:30 – 2:50 pm
Panel I (Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom)
“Why a Crimes Against Humanity Treaty: The 2019 ILC Draft Articles & Draft Resolution 79/122”
Chair: Professor Leila Sadat
Professor Claudio Grossman (Former Dean, Washington College of Law) (Pending Confirmation)
Professor David Donat Cattin (NYU University) (Virtual)
Ms. Ana Paula Lavalle Arroyo (Legal Advisor, México)
Mr. Amadou Jaiteh (Legal Advisor, The Gambia)
Professor Larry Johnson (Vienna Diplomatic Academy)
Ms. Akila Radhakrishnan (Atlantic Council) (Virtual)
Panel II (Room 202)
3:00 – 4:20 pm
“What Can We Expect Over the Next Four Years? Key Questions of Treaty Design & Negotiation”
Chair: Professor Melissa Waters
Professor Erin Farrell Rosenberg (University of Cincinnati)
Dr. Patricia Viseur Sellers (University of Oxford) (Virtual)
Professor Richard Dicker (Human Rights Watch, Columbia Law School)
Mr. Hugo Relva (Amnesty International) (Virtual)
Mr. Pablo Arrocha (Legal Adviser, Foreign Ministry of Mexico) (Virtual)
Dr. Olympia Bekou (Dean, Nottingham Law School, UK)
Reception (Janite Lee Reading Room)
4:30 – 6:00 pm
Closing Remarks: Professor Leila Sadat
Sponsored by: Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute; Crimes Against Humanity Initiative; Public Interest Law and Policy Speaker Series; Global Studies Law Review; Law Veterans; International Law Society.