In November 2024, Professor Leila Sadat’s Crimes Against Humanity Initiative reached a new milestone. The Sixth Committee (Legal) of the United Nations General Assembly approved 16 draft texts, one of which saw the Committee launch the process to negotiate an international convention to govern the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity.
Professor Sadat’s Crimes Against Humanity Initiative was launched in 2008. In collaboration with an international Steering Committee comprised of some of the world’s leading scholars and practitioners of international criminal law, the initiative identified a need for a global convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity. The initiative resulted in a model draft treaty, the Proposed Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity.
Inspired by the Initiative’s work, the U.N. International Law Commission developed a set of draft articles on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity which were published in 2019, and which have been the subject of debate in the General Assembly’s Legal (Sixth) Committee since that time. In November, the Sixth Committee met to finish its debate which resulted in a momentous resolution.
The draft resolution, “United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity,” focused on a future convention that will serve as a tool for accountability and close the gap of impunity when crimes against humanity are committed. It was introduced as the result of many exchanges as well as hard and difficult choices by Committee members and the international community at large.
After an afternoon of compromise and proposed amendments – which saw changes to dates on which such a conference would be convened and the way certain stakeholders’ participation will be decided – the Committee approved the draft resolution, without a vote. The resolution’s adoption was met with applause for the hard-won fight and tradition of consensus.
Proponents of the resolution pointed to monumental moral, legal, diplomatic, and political significance for many generations to come. The historic victory indicated the work to come. Committee members pointed towards the necessary work to achieve a convention that will gain wide acceptance and implementation. In the words of one observer, the future treaty “will not just be a legal document; it is a promise to survivors.” The General Assembly adopted the Resolution 79/122 on December 4, 2024, officially sending the treaty to negotiations.
WashU Law applauds Professor Sadat’s efforts, as well as the efforts of dozens of students and Harris Institute Fellows who have worked on the project for many years. Read more about this impactful milestone here.
