We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, represent civil society organizations, nongovernmental organizations, victim/survivor associations, and academic institutions from around the world. We have technical expertise on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity, including their adjudication before national and international courts and tribunals. Many of us have also directly experienced or witnessed the commission of crimes against humanity. We welcome the opening of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity, a vital step towards closing a long-standing accountability gap in international law.

In negotiating the Crimes Against Humanity Convention, states must take a survivor-centric approach. Centering survivors is essential to minimize and repair the harms caused by crimes against humanity, treat survivors with dignity and respect, and facilitate the healing process and the restoration of their autonomy and rights.

The Draft Addendum makes welcome contributions to recognizing a fuller scope of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence (GBV), acknowledging that “conflict-related gender violence is no longer confined to acts purely sexual in nature” and includes many forms, including physical, moral, psychological and transgenerational forms of violence.

Enumerate the Slave Trade in Article 2 of the Draft Articles on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity.

Reproductive autonomy is an individual’s ability to exercise agency over their fertility, including their choice about whether and in what circumstances to reproduce. It is inseparable from human dignity and bodily autonomy, and its violation has profound physical, psychological, social, and economic consequences for affected individuals, families, and communities. Rights related to reproductive autonomy are protected in international and regional human rights instruments.

The inclusion of forced marriage as a standalone violation in the forthcoming Convention on Crimes Against Humanity is essential for preventing and providing redress for this harm. States should: Add forced marriage as a standalone violation to the list of prohibited acts in Article 2(1) of the draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention.

We, the undersigned Afghan and international civil society organisations, write to you, once again, to share our grave concerns regarding the deepening human rights and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. We also reiterate the urgent need for the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to establish an independent international accountability mechanism for Afghanistan (hereafter accountability mechanism) to support accountability for gross and systematic human rights violations and abuses and crimes under international law, including those that were committed in the past and those that continue to be committed across Afghanistan.

In this brief, Global Justice Center respectfully urges the Court to: first, recognize forced sterilization as a specific form of reproductive violence with specific characteristics and harms, and requiring particular remedies; and second, consider the mass, State-sponsored character of the harm that underlies this case, in ordering appropriate reparations.