Key UN committee adopts resolution paving the way for a first-ever treaty on crimes against humanity

United Nations (AP) After Russia withdrew amendments that would have sabotaged the effort, a major U.N. General Assembly committee late Friday passed a resolution opening the door for talks on the first-ever treaty on preventing and prosecuting crimes against humanity.

After a day of stressful last-minute discussions between its supporters and Russia, the resolution was unanimously approved by the assembly’s legal committee, which comprises all 193 U.N. members.

When the committee chairman announced the resolution’s approval, there was a roar of cheers. When the General Assembly votes on it in a final session on December 4, it is almost a given that it will be adopted.

Human Rights Watch’s senior legal adviser for advocacy, Richard Dicker, told The Associated Press that the agreement to begin discussions on a much-needed international treaty today is a historic accomplishment that has long been anticipated.

He said it sends a vital message that the atrocities committed against civilians in southern Israel, Ethiopia, Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, and Myanmar would not go unpunished.

In order to establish a treaty on crimes against humanity, the resolution calls for a time-bound approach that includes three-week negotiating sessions in 2028 and 2029, followed by preparatory sessions in 2026 and 2027.

According to Dicker, it is unclear if treaty negotiations would have been concluded given Russia’s proposed revisions.

Maria Zabolotskaya, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, stated that Russia retracted the revisions in an effort to reach a compromise. However, she asserted that Russia distances itself from consensus.

Zabolotskaya informed the committee that this does not imply that we are not prepared to work on this important convention.

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There are 124 nations that are parties to the International Criminal Court, which was created to punish significant offenders of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.According to the ICC, murder, rape, incarceration, enforced disappearances, sexual slavery, torture, and deportation are among the 15 types of crimes against humanity that are committed as part of a massive assault on civilians.

However, the ICC lacks jurisdiction over around 70 other nations.

Although there are international treaties that handle torture, genocide, and war crimes, there isn’t one that specifically addresses crimes against humanity. Additionally, a new treaty will bridge the divide, according to the resolution’s sponsors, which include 96 additional nations and are led by Mexico and the Gambia.

After numerous delays, Kelly Adams, a legal advisor at the Global Justice Center, also referred to the conclusion as a historic breakthrough.

She cited the global rise in crimes against humanity and said she hoped a treaty would be robust, forward-thinking, and survivor-focused.

Although she was disappointed that the deadline had been moved to 2029, Secretary General Agnes Callamard of Amnesty International stated that what matters is that this process will result in a workable treaty.

According to her, it is long overdue and especially welcome at a time when too many states are determined to undermine universal values and international law. States’ readiness to strengthen the international justice system and crack down on safe havens from inquiry and prosecution for those responsible for these horrible crimes is evident.

Counselor Amadou Jaiteh of the Gambia, who had proposed the resolution hours earlier, described its approval as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change things, to hope for a world free of crimes against humanity, and to make victims’ voices heard above those of their offenders.

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