United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity

A/RES/79/122View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 80 Crimes against humanity, published in 2024.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 3	Progressive development and codification of international law	18

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 3	Progressive development and codification of international law	18	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 subjects

Conferences Crimes Against Humanity International Law International Law Codification Treaties

What’s in this document?

22 operative paragraphs

Expresses its appreciation to the International Law Commission for its continuing contribution to the codification and progressive development of international law;

Takes note of all the views, comments and concerns expressed in the debates of the Sixth Committee on crimes against humanity⁵ including at its resumed sessions held during the seventy-seventh and seventy-eighth sessions of the General Assembly,⁶ as well as the comments and observations received from Governments on the draft articles on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity and on any future action thereon;

⁵See A/C.6/74/SR.23, A/C.6/74/SR.24, A/C.6/74/SR.25, A/C.6/74/SR.26, A/C.6/74/SR.27, A/C.6/74/SR.30, A/C.6/75/SR.5, A/C.6/75/SR.6, A/C.6/76/SR.8, A/C.6/76/SR.9, A/C.6/76/SR.29, A/C.6/77/SR.9, A/C.6/77/SR.10 and A/C.6/77/SR.11.

⁶See A/C.6/77/SR.37, A/C.6/77/SR.38, A/C.6/77/SR.39, A/C.6/77/SR.40, A/C.6/77/SR.41, A/C.6/77/SR.42, A/C.6/77/SR.43, A/C.6/77/SR.44, A/C.6/77/SR.45, A/C.6/78/SR.38, A/C.6/78/SR.39, A/C.6/78/SR.40, A/C.6/78/SR.41, A/C.6/78/SR.42, A/C.6/78/SR.43, A/C.6/78/SR.44, A/C.6/78/SR.45, A/C.6/78/SR.46 and A/C.6/78/SR.47.

Also takes note of the written summary of the deliberations during the two resumed sessions of the Sixth Committee held during the seventy-seventh and seventy-eighth sessions of the General Assembly, as well as the report of the Secretary-General prepared pursuant to Assembly resolution 77/249 on the basis of written comments and observations submitted by Governments on the draft articles and on the recommendation of the Commission;⁷

⁷A/78/717, A/78/717/Corr.1 and A/78/717/Add.1.

Decides to convene the United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity, to meet at United Nations Headquarters in New York for three consecutive weeks in early 2028, and for three consecutive weeks in 2029, unless otherwise agreed by the Preparatory Committee, to elaborate and conclude a legally binding instrument on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity, with a possibility to hold an additional session, if necessary, bearing in mind the aim of developing an instrument enjoying the broadest possible support;

Refers to the Conference a compiled text, to serve as the basis for negotiations, consisting of both the draft articles and a compilation of proposals for amendments to the draft articles submitted by Governments, and also refers the commentaries to the draft articles,⁸ the written comments and observations of Governments, the views expressed in discussions at the seventy-fourth to seventy-eighth sessions of the General Assembly, the written summary of the resumed sessions of the Sixth Committee and the recommendation of the Commission;

⁸Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-fourth Session, Supplement No. 10 (A/74/10), para. 45.

Decides to convene a preparatory committee for the Conference, to meet for two consecutive weeks, from 19 to 30 January 2026, and for four days, in 2027, at United Nations Headquarters in New York;

Also decides to convene a working group, which shall be governed by the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, to meet for the entire first session of the Preparatory Committee to facilitate consultations on the draft articles, and to enable Governments to prepare formal proposals for amendments to the draft articles for consideration by the United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity to be included in the compiled text, and encourages Governments to include experts in the relevant fields in their delegations to the working group;

Further decides that the Preparatory Committee shall also discuss the organization and methods of work of the Conference, including the rules of procedure, with a view to making recommendations thereon, at its second session, to the Conference, taking into account the importance of promoting consensus on the final results of the work of the Conference, requests the Secretary-General to prepare proposals thereon for the consideration of the Preparatory Committee, decides that the Preparatory Committee shall also prepare the compiled text for submission to the Conference, and shall also decide, at its first session, on the participation of stakeholders other than those referred to in paragraph 16, and decides that, upon completion of its mandate, the Preparatory Committee shall report directly to the Conference;

Invites Governments to submit to the Secretary-General, no later than 30 April 2026, proposals for amendments to the draft articles for inclusion in the compiled text, and requests the Secretary-General to submit a proposed compiled text to the Preparatory Committee at its second session;

Decides that the rules of procedure of the General Assembly shall apply provisionally to the procedure of the Conference until otherwise agreed by the Conference;

Also decides that the Conference shall exhaust every effort in good faith to reach agreement on substantive matters by consensus;

Encourages participants in the Conference to organize consultations on issues of substance, prior to the convening of the Conference, in order to facilitate the conclusion of its work;

Decides that the Conference will be undertaken in an open and transparent manner, with a view to promoting universal adherence, and emphasizes the need to ensure the widest possible and effective participation in the Conference;

Also decides that the Conference and the Preparatory Committee shall be open to all States Members of the United Nations and members of the specialized agencies, and requests the Secretary-General to invite those States to participate in the Conference;

Further decides that the Conference and the Preparatory Committee shall be open to observers having received a standing invitation to participate in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly, on the understanding that they shall participate in the Conference in accordance with the rights and privileges conferred upon them by the Assembly, and requests the Secretary-General to invite them to the Conference, and also to invite, as observers to the Conference, representatives of interested regional intergovernmental organizations and other interested international bodies;

Decides that attendance at the Conference and the Preparatory Committee as observers will also be opened to relevant non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council in accordance with the provisions of Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996;

Also decides that participation in respect of paragraphs 8 and 16 above means attending formal meetings, receiving copies of the official documents, making their materials available to delegates and addressing the meetings, through a limited number of their representatives, as appropriate;

Invites the States referred to in paragraph 14 above to include as far as possible among their representatives experts competent in the field to be considered;

Requests the Secretary-General to arrange for the attendance at the Conference and the first session of the Preparatory Committee, as an expert, of the Special Rapporteur of the International Law Commission on crimes against humanity;

Also requests the Secretary-General to appoint a Secretary-General of the Conference to serve as focal point within the Secretariat for providing support to the organization of the Conference;

Further requests the Secretary-General to provide the Preparatory Committee and the Conference with the necessary assistance for the performance of their work, including secretariat services and the provision of essential background information and relevant documents, including summary records, as appropriate, and United Nations media coverage, and to arrange for support to be provided by the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs of the Secretariat;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its eightieth session the item entitled “Crimes against humanity”.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents

Who cites this mandate in the budget?