Professor Sean D. Murphy, the Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law, spent the last two weeks of January 2026 serving as an expert at a preparatory meeting of the United Nations relating to negotiation of a Convention on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity. As a Member of the U.N. International Law Commission (ILC) from 2012 to 2022, Professor Murphy spearheaded the drafting of a preamble, fifteen articles, and an annex for such a treaty, which were then sent to the U.N. General Assembly with a recommendation that it convene a diplomatic conference of States to transform the draft articles into a treaty. The Assembly decided to do so in December 2024.
The preparatory committee meeting, which was held at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, consisted of delegates from the 193 U.N. Member States (as well as from international and non-governmental organizations), who decided certain procedural matters, but devoted most of the meeting to posing questions or comments to Professor Murphy about the draft articles. “It was a great honor to be asked to attend this meeting as a U.N. expert and to assist the Member States by explaining in some depth the text and background to the draft articles,” said Professor Murphy. “Although the ILC produced the text from scratch, we benefited greatly from the language used in numerous existing treaties that States have previously joined, such as on genocide, war crimes, torture, extradition, and mutual legal assistance. Moreover, GW Law students, including through our Human Rights clinic, were able to assist in the research and writing of my reports to the ILC.”
The preparatory committee will meet again in 2027 and formal negotiations, for which Professor Murphy will also serve as a U.N. expert, will take place in 2028 and 2029.