ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
The Asia Justice Coalition works as a collective to amplify our members’ initiatives and their
efforts to advance international justice and human rights in Asia. We, therefore, provide
aggregated and updated information and news on the Coalition’s projects, activities and events.
The Asia Justice Coalition works as a collective to amplify our members’ initiatives and their
efforts to advance international justice and human rights in Asia. We, therefore, provide
aggregated and updated information and news on the Coalition’s projects, activities and events.
Crimes Against Humanity Convention
The Asia Justice Coalition (AJC) has been closely following and monitoring the passage of the International Law Commission’s (ILC) Draft Articles on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity (Draft Articles) through the Sixth Committee of the UN General Assembly.
The Draft Articles provide an additional tool to fight impunity, bridging the normative gap in treaty law by providing for prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity (CAH). The Draft Articles encompass state responsibility, strengthen inter-state cooperation, enable States to develop national capacity to investigate and punish crimes against humanity within their territory, and center victims and survivors. The AJC secretariat believes that the ILC Draft Articles provide a sound basis to elaborate a future multilateral convention on crimes against humanity. Such an elaboration would align with the objectives and goals of the UN Charter – maintenance of international peace and security.
In furtherance of the same goal, the Asia Justice Coalition has undertaken the following research and advocacy initiatives:
The Asia Justice Coalition attended the Resumed Session of the Sixth Committee on CAH in New York.
On 1 August 2024, the AJC wrote a letter to Asian states urging governments to support a UNGA resolution establishing treaty negotiations for a global convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity. The full letter is available here.
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The AJC and its members along with 300+ civil society organisations and experts signed a joint statement to express their support for a global convention on crimes against humanity. They urged States to use the second resumed session of the Sixth Committee (1 – 5 April 2024 and 11 April 2024) to move the Draft Articles to negotiations towards a crimes against humanity treaty at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
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The Asia Justice Coalition secretariat head, Dr. Priya Pillai participated in two Expert Meetings on the Draft Articles on Crimes Against Humanity in New York in 2023 and 2024 respectively, briefing Sixth committee legal advisors of UN Member States on aspects of the Draft Articles.
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Dr Priya Pillai also moderated a session on Articles 6-10, entitled “National Measures: Criminalization; Jurisdiction; aut dedere aut judicare” in the two-day webinar by Amnesty International on the Draft Crimes against Humanity Convention, convening representatives from governments, academia and civil society from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.
To spread awareness amongst the civil society members, secretariat head Dr Priya Pillai and Aakash Chandran (Legal Advocacy and Communications Manager) briefed members of the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICR2P) on the Draft Articles on Crimes Against Humanity and the process at the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee.
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On 22 May, Dr Pillai and Aakash Chandran also briefed the members of the Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, along with civil society representatives and academics. The webinar provided an overview of the CAH Draft Articles and highlighted the contribution that civil society organisations and not-for-profits can play in advocating to have their governments support the proposed convention to promote peace and stability via the adoption of this mechanism.
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In March 2024, during the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Asia Justice Coalition once again co-sponsored a side event “Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity: Advancing Towards a New Convention” to discuss the opportunities that a new convention offers in advancing the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity.
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On 30 April, Dr Pillai wrote a blog post tiled 'The need for a convention on crimes against humanity' underlining the importance of a global convention on crimes against humanity and drawing its distinction with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
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On 24 July 2024, Aakash Chandran briefed the members of Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific sections on the Draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention. The meeting aimed at providing a forum for Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific sections and other national entities, and their allies, to learn more about the ongoing deliberations at the UNGA Sixth Committee, and the Draft Articles and the position of Asian states.
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The engagement of Asian States with international justice mechanisms has been minimal, exemplified by relatively few States - only 19 – that have become party to the Rome Statute. Similarly, no regional human rights treaty or Asian-wide court exists to further international justice. To explore the relevance of the potential crimes against humanity Convention for the Asia-Pacific region, the Asia Justice Coalition and International Commission of Jurists co-organised a webinar to highlight the value and contribution of Global South, in particular, Asia to promote and ensure peace and stability. Check below.
The AJC secretariat also mapped the position of the Asian States and published a briefing paper explaining the movement on the International Law Commission's Draft Articles on Crimes Against Humanity at the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee. It also called on them to support the passage of the Draft Articles out of the Sixth Committee and convening a diplomatic conference.
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Similarly, the secretariat also mapped Asian States’ position on the Draft Articles based on the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organisation (AALCO) records and called for active participation of Asian and African States at the UNGA Sixth Committee. Check here.
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At the Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue for Human Rights 75, Legal Advocacy and Communications Manager Aakash Chandran further called on States to pass the Draft Articles on Crimes Against Humanity at the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee.
To inform relevant Geneva-based actors about the future Crimes Against Humanity Convention and to call on States to support its adoption, the Asia Justice Coalition and its members International Commission of Jurists, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Global Justice Center co-sponsored a side event at the 54th session of the Human Rights Council in September 2023 entitled ‘Towards A Crimes Against Humanity Convention’.
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Building on the complementarity between the Draft Articles on CAH and the Ljubljana– The Hague convention on Mutual Legal Assistance, Dr. Priya Pillai highlighted the central role of victims in international accountability frameworks at the IBA Annual Conference in Paris in November 2023.
The Asia Justice Coalition co-sponsored a civil society workshop in parallel to the 22nd session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the International Criminal Court in New York entitled ‘Workshop on the International Law Commission’s 2019 Draft articles on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity’. The aim of the workshop was to provide members of civil society attending the Assembly of States Parties with an overview of the draft articles and the ongoing process and provide a forum to contextualize progress, hurdles, and opportunities, and create a broad constituency pushing for the adoption of a robust treaty to prevent and punish crimes against humanity.
During the margins of the 22nd ASP, in December 2023, Asia Justice Coalition also co-sponsored a side event ‘Advancing Towards a Crimes Against Humanity Convention’ exploring the ongoing efforts to establish a new treaty on crimes against humanity and filing the accountability gap in international law.
On 4 September, in an outreach effort to reach out to former and current members of parliament in the ASEAN region, Dr Pillai and Aakash Chandran briefed the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR).
On 12 September, the Asia Justice Coalition Secretariat, along with ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), published an infographic on Southeast Asian States and the draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention. The infographic outlined Southeast Asian state' positions on the draft articles on crimes against humanity and urged support at the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee.
On 3 October, the Asia Justice Coalition, along with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Amnesty International, and the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, in partnership with the Embassy of Mexico in Thailand (Bangkok), organised a diplomatic briefing on the International Law Commission's Draft Articles on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity. The briefing provided an overview of the content of the Draft Articles as well as the ongoing discussions within the UNGA Sixth Committee t the representatives of the UN Member States.
On 4 October, AJC Director, Dr. Priya Pillai, was featured on the asymmetrical haircuts international law podcast along with Prof. Leila Sadat for an episode entitled “The Road to a New Crimes Against Humanity (CAH) Treaty." In the podcast, Dr. Pillai talked about the importance of a multilateral CAH treaty, including state responsibility and obligation to prevent, the process at the UNGA Sixth Committee and the position of Asian States, and the crucial role of civil society. Further, on 25 October, Dr. Priya Pillai participated in an ABILA’s panel on Crimes Against Humanity. The panel took note of the ongoing deliberations at the UNGA Sixth Committee, explored proposals to incorporate slavery crimes, gender apartheid, and forced marriage within the definition of crime, and called for cross-regional support for the treaty going forward.
Ahead of the November session of the Sixth Committee, the Asia Justice Coalition mapped and pictorially represented the position of Asian States on the draft resolution calling for a diplomatic conference based on the discussions at the UN General Assembly Sixth
Committee (9-10 & 14 October).
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​At the 23rd International Criminal Court Assembly of States Parties, AJC held two events on Crimes Against Humanity Convention. First, a CSO-workshop on the Convention on 5 December, where Aakash Chandran participated on a panel discussion by highlighting theneed and importance of Asian voices in the deliberations and processes in the run-up to the Diplomatic Conference. Second, the AJC co-sponsored an event on ‘Gender Justice and CAH Convention’ on 6 December.
