This dialogue will provide an opportunity to define and consolidate the UK approach to the UN’s draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention (CAHC) over the next two years, and to focus on how civil society, academics, legal experts and survivors can most effectively use their influence.
The event will also create space to consider future priorities on gender equality, with a particular focus on conflict related sexual violence (CRSV) within the international architecture more broadly. Participants will explore the links between CRSV, international humanitarian and human rights law, and the wider crimes against humanity narrative.
This event follows the recent resolution in the UN’s 6th Committee, to reconvene in a resumed session in April 2023 (and again in 2024) to discuss the draft CAHC. The off-the-record roundtable aims to provide an expert forum for technical discussions on the CAHC and galvanise support for the CAHC. The discussions will help to feed into the 6th Committee negotiations in April and support the creation of a common position on an approach to gender equality and CRSV in the CAHC ahead of the meeting.
The UK has publicly set out an ambitious approach to tackling CRSV, including through the recently launched Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) strategy. One of the key objectives is to strengthen the global response to CRSV. The UK Government set out the intention to do so in the strategy by pursuing further concerted action on the Crimes Against Humanity Convention, as a means of strengthening the international legal architecture including on some forms of CRSV. This ambition was also reiterated by the Foreign Secretary at the PSVI conference in November, and the CAHC remains a key vehicle for delivery of objectives on PSVI.
This Wilton Park dialogue will support delivery of this objective by bringing together key stakeholders to discuss how to use the CAHC to address gender inequality, and in particular strengthen prevention of and response to CRSV.
Project manager: Andrea Fallon
- Telephone: +44 (0) 1903 817 728
- Email: andrea.fallon@wiltonpark.org.uk
In partnership with
