Statement

of the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN,

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Andrii Melnyk, LL.M.,

at the General Debate of the First Session of the Preparatory Committee

for the UN Conference of Plenipotentiaries

on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity

(New York, 19 January 2026)

Distinguished Chair, Assistant Secretary-General Declan Smyth,

Dear Professor Murphy, Dear Director Pronto,

Distinguished Delegates,

First of all, I would like to once again congratulate Mr. Chairman on your election and wish you success in this crucial, not easy, mission.

Ukraine aligns itself with the position of the European Union.

Let me now make a statement on behalf of Ukraine.

More than a decade has passed since the first idea of codifying crimes against humanity was finally placed on the agenda of the international community.

Today we are all participants in a truly historic process, marked by the opening of this first session of the Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity.

It is no exaggeration: almost three decades have passed since the international community last codified international criminal law through the adoption of a new universal convention in this field, one which is not only timely but long overdue.

This moment undoubtedly marks important progress and reflects the sustained efforts of a wide range of governments, scientists, experts and civil society over recent years.

I wish to express Ukraine’s deep respect and appreciation for the International Law Commission and, in particular, the brilliant Special Rapporteur, Professor Sean D. Murphy, who has devoted many years of tireless work to the development of the draft articles on crimes against humanity.

Ukraine shares the opinion of many delegations that theses draft articles constitute a genuinely fundamental achievement reflecting the ILC’s many years of dedicated work, and stand out as an exceptionally solid, remarkably thorough, and very balanced text.

It is a strong foundation on which we are now going to build our edifice of a future convention.

At the same time, today’s statements have already generated a wealth of valuable and forward-looking ideas, and we can anticipate that, in the days and years to come, these contributions will continue to multiply, aimed at further developing and complementing the draft articles.

Let me be clear: Ukraine fully supports a careful and inclusive approach to further refining and improving the draft articles that would be acceptable to the overwhelming majority of UN Member States.

However, Ukraine’s delegation stresses the importance of timely decision-making and believes that this process should not be artificially prolonged, so as to enable our Committee to submit a well-balanced draft text to the UN Conference without any further delay.

Our shared objective shall be to reach the right balance, so to say, to strike what might be called the golden mean and arrive at a carefully calibrated text that can command the broadest possible support.

Distinguished delegates,

The reasons for working at maximum speed and efficiency are self-evident.

Crimes against humanity are not an abstract legal concept.

Regrettably, they are being committed today in many regions of the world and across different continents.

From Africa to the Middle East, from Asia to Europe, civilians continue to suffer from widespread and systematic attacks directed against them.

Millions of people are affected by criminal acts that shock the very conscience of humanity, severely undermining the foundations of international peace, security, and human dignity.

In this context, Ukraine believes that any further delay in finalizing a universal treaty aimed at preventing crimes against humanity is unacceptable.

Here is an open secret everyone knows: some States, using procedural tricks, seek to obstruct or significantly slow down this process.

The reason is very simple: accountability and the establishment of justice are not in their interest.

Precisely for this reason, it is particularly important for the rest of the international community to demonstrate resolve and to stand against any hidden or open attempts to obstruct this process, while keeping it constructive and result-oriented.

Chair,

I wish to recall the historical roots of the concept of crimes against humanity.

They are closely connected to Ukraine and, in particular, to my native city of Lviv and my alma mater, Lviv National University, through the legacy of the founding fathers of international criminal law who lived and studied there, such as Professor Hersch Lauterpacht, who coined the term, Professor Raphael Lemkin (author of the Genocide Convention), and Professor Louis Sohn.

These jurists’ ideas formed the pillars of the 20th century’s international criminal justice regime, which redefined the scope of internation law.

In this context, the idea of finalizing the codification process in the Ukrainian city of Lviv would carry symbolic significance as the birthplace of the very notion of crimes against humanity, and I would appeal to the distinguished members to support this initiative when the time is ripe.

Distinguished delegates,

Unfortunately, the adoption of a Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity has, for us Ukrainians, not only a historical dimension.

Since the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, and especially since Russia’s large-scale military aggression in 2022, we have faced—day and night—systematic violations of international law, war crimes, and crimes against humanity that Russian armed forces have been committing against the civilian population in Ukraine.

These grave crimes are not an isolated case, but part of a systematic pattern that requires a much stronger international response.

Recent actions by the International Criminal Court, including arrest warrants against senior Russian officials for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, send a clear message: serious violations will be pursued, impunity will not be tolerated, and no one stands above justice.

Chair,

Ukraine stands ready to contribute constructively to the negotiation process.

Let us not allow further delay.

Let us meet the expectations of millions of people around the world suffering from crimes against humanity who look to the United Nations for protection.

Thank you.