On 11-12 October 2023, the United Nations Sixth Committee debated the draft of the international treaty on crimes against humanity.

Ahead of these meetings, the Global Justice Centre convened Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice and other human rights organizations and international law experts. Together, we urge UN member states to focus on ensuring a gender-progressive, survivor-centric, and intersectional treaty.

Our joint efforts include:

• a letter to UN Member States urging them to adopt a gender-progressive treaty and to ensure an inclusive treaty-making process;
• a brief on strengthening protections for reproductive autonomy; and
• a brief urging the codification of the crime of gender apartheid in the treaty;

The creation of an international treaty on crimes against humanity could be a watershed moment for global gender justice and Women’s Initiatives encourage UN Member States to consider gender justice as a cross-cutting issue throughout their work.

For more on advocacy in the context of the Draft Crimes Against Humanity Treaty, please consult the website of the Global Justice Center.