PRofessor Juan Mendez Supports Drafting of UN Convention on Crimes against Humanity
Professor Juan Mendez has long been strongly committed to the promotion and protection of international human rights. His work particularly focuses on the fight against torture, as demonstrated in his appointment as UN Special Rapporteur on this subject between 2010 and 2016. As another initiative of his work to eradicate torture in its multiple manifestations, he has also supported the drafting of the International Law Commission (ILC) Draft Articles on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity (for the text of the draft convention, see ILC Report A/74/10).
On March 13 and 14, 2023, Professor Mendez participated in a workshop at the German Mission in New York to raise awareness in support and to offer assistance to delegations. France and Germany had co-sponsored the workshop. The states had entrusted organization of the workshop to Professor Leila Sadat, of Washington University in St Louis, who has championed this effort since 2008. Since then, Professor Sadat has consistently worked together with Professor Mendez on this project. At the workshop, Professor Mendez offered his analysis of the draft Convention, including its human rights aspects. In attendance were many members of other missions, principally those responsible for their countries’ participation at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly.
On December 30, 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 79/244 to provide input on the ILC draft articles on the international crime against humanity. The ILC offered a draft text already in 2019, and states continue having concerns about the final text. For this reason, the General Assembly decided that the Sixth Committee (the legal committee of the General Assembly) would have to resume its session for five days, from 10 to 14 April 2023, and for six days, from 1 to 5 and on 11 April 2024, to exchange substantive views on all aspects of the draft articles on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity, and to consider further the ILC’s recommendation to open the text to the member states as an international treaty. It decided that the Sixth Committee would further examine the draft articles and the ILC’s recommendation to take a decision on the matter, without prejudice to the question of their future adoption or other appropriate action. It is expected that in late 2024 a treaty will be approved and opened for signature and ratification.