UN General Assembly (UNGA)

Former Assistant-Secretary-General outlines good options (war crimes investigation/tribunal) and dead ends (challenging Russia's UN seat).

The attempted coup one year ago ushered in a new era for Myanmar. Where will it lead?

Despite a majority of States favoring a clear mandate and timeline to discuss the draft in the next year, a few countries essentially exercised vetoes.

"When the votes are cast in the General Assembly this week, women’s rights advocates around the world will be watching States closely."

Such a convention could help dispel a culture of impunity by reaffirming the gravity of such atrocities and filling gaps left by the Rome Statute.

Such a law would strengthen the prospect of the US one day seriously considering ratification of a proposed treaty.

While it contains laudable provisions, it is silent on certain fundamental issues, and some clauses set out the lowest common denominator.

Such a legal framework could be transformative for so many who have been left out or on the margins of existing mechanisms, including women.

At times the baton was dropped; at other times, drafters successfully overcame the hurdles in the process, as with the ICC Statute.

The answer is to fully enact international criminal law at the national level and to provide for its maximum reach.

It is a matter of historical curiosity, and it's time for the UN to reunite genocide with its genus by concluding a parallel treaty.

The UN has repeatedly failed to fulfill its mission to protect civilians. A protection agenda could help it succeed.