Sixth Committee (Legal) — 79th session
Crimes against humanity (Provisional agenda item 80)
- Authority: resolution 77/249
Documentation
- 2019 ILC Report
- A/C.6/78/2 – Written summary of the deliberations during the two resumed sessions
Additional documents from previous sessions:
- Oral report of the co-facilitators (2024 resumed session)
- Oral report of the co-facilitators (2023 resumed session)
- Draft articles on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity with commentaries, 2019
- Draft articles on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity, arranged by thematic clusters, to be considered at the resumed seventy-seventh and seventy-eighth sessions
- A/CN.4/713 — Topical summary of the discussion held in the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly during its seventy-second session, prepared by the Secretariat
- A/CN.4/726 + Add.1 + Add.2 — Comments and observations received from Governments, international organizations and others, 2019
- A/CN.4/734 — Topical summary of the discussion held in the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly during its seventy-fourth session, prepared by the Secretariat
- Full text of the comments and observations received from Governments in 2015, 2016 and 2017
- Full text of the comments and observations received from Governments, international organizations and others, 2019
Summary of work
Background (source: A/79/100)
At its seventy-fourth session, the General Assembly, under the item entitled “Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its seventy-first session”, took note of the draft articles on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity contained in chapter IV of the report of the Commission (A/74/10), and decided to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-fifth session an item entitled “Crimes against humanity” and to continue to examine the recommendation of the Commission contained in paragraph 42 of its report on the work of its seventy-first session (resolution 74/187).
The Assembly has had the item on its agenda annually since its seventy-fifth session (resolutions 75/136, 76/114 and 77/249).
At its seventy-seventh session, the Assembly took note once again of the draft articles presented by the International Law Commission and decided that the Sixth Committee would resume its session for five days, from 10 to 14 April 2023, and for six days, from 1 to 5 April and on 11 April 2024, in order to exchange substantive views, including in an interactive format, on all aspects of the draft articles, and to consider further the recommendation of the Commission contained in paragraph 42 of its report (A/74/10). The Assembly also decided that a written summary of the deliberations during the two resumed sessions would be prepared by the Sixth Committee at the end of the second resumed seventy-eighth session and invited States to submit, by the end of 2023, written comments and observations on the draft articles and the recommendation of the Commission, which it requested that the Secretary-General circulate in a compilation well in advance of the resumed seventy-eighth session. Finally, the Assembly decided that the Sixth Committee would further examine the draft articles and the recommendation of the Commission at the seventy-ninth session of the Assembly and take a decision on the matter, without prejudice to the question of their future adoption or other appropriate action (resolution 77/249). The Sixth Committee continued its consideration of the item in the resumed part of the seventy-seventh session from 10 to 14 April 2023.
At its seventy-eighth session, the Assembly allocated the item to the Sixth Committee, where statements in the debate were made by 83 delegations (see A/C.6/78/SR.9–11). Further to resolution 77/249, the Sixth Committee continued its consideration of the item in the resumed part of the seventy-eighth session from 1 to 5 and on 11 April 2024 and would further examine the draft articles and the recommendation of the Commission at the seventy-ninth session of the Assembly and take a decision on the matter, without prejudice to the question of their future adoption or other appropriate action (resolution 77/249).
Related links
- Crimes against humanity (International Law Commission): Analytical guide | Summary of the work
