Statement at the Sixth Committee of the eightieth session of the United Nations

General Assembly under agenda item 81:

"Crimes against humanity"

Delivered by Mr. Tale Aliyev, First Secretary

14 October 2025

Mr. Chair,

Crimes against humanity, as defined in Article 6(c) of the Nuremberg Charter of the International Military Tribunal and further developed in subsequent instruments, are among the most serious crimes of grave concern to the international community, alongside war crimes, genocide, and aggression. The prohibition of these crimes is unequivocally a peremptory norm of customary international law.

States bear the primary responsibility for the protection of their populations and ensuring accountability for serious offenses. Under international law, States are required to investigate, without undue delay, reports of such offences and to prosecute and punish the perpetrators. This obligation is explicitly set out in the relevant international legal instruments and has also been repeatedly reaffirmed by the General Assembly and the Security Council.

The Criminal Code of Azerbaijan includes robust provisions addressing crimes against humanity and war crimes, demonstrating Azerbaijan’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations under customary and conventional international law.

Azerbaijan attaches paramount importance to the fight against impunity for all atrocity crimes and possesses a profound and painful understanding of the necessity for robust and effective international legal mechanisms to ensure justice and prevent recurrence. We are of the view that accountability and redress are essential prerequisites for long-term peace and stability.

The adoption of General Assembly Resolution 79/122 provided the necessary procedural impetus, launching the negotiation phase for a convention on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity.

The development of a new treaty must not undermine existing international legal obligations and that any new normative standards must aim to strengthen international criminal law, particularly in ensuring effective accountability, promoting inter-State cooperation, and enhancing mutual legal assistance in the respective domain.

Mr. Chair,

To produce a truly universal and effective convention, the process must be characterized by inclusive, transparent deliberations aimed at achieving the broadest possible consensus. The objective must be to overcome or, at the very least, lessen the divergent views on key legal concepts through open and constructive negotiation.

Furthermore, there must be sustained vigilance against selectivity, politically motivated objectives, or attempts to promote political agendas and historical narratives under the cover of legal concepts. The legal integrity and universality of the eventual convention must be preserved above all. The Conference of Plenipotentiaries must serve as the forum to achieve legal clarity and universality, ensuring that the final instrument is an effective tool against impunity and not a source of future fragmentation.

Thank you.