Philippine Declaration to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,

9 December 1948

https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/ihl/0/a2ec826e5d083098c125641e0040690d

---approved the text of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the first UN
human rights treaty. The convention, which entered into force in 1951, has been ratified by more than 130
countries.

The Convention on Genocide was among the first United Nations conventions addressing humanitarian issues. It
was adopted in 1948 in response to the atrocities committed during World War II and followed G.A. Res. 180(II) of
21 December 1947 in which the UN recognized that "genocide is an international crime, which entails the national
and international responsibility of individual persons and states." The Convention has since then been widely
accepted by the international community and ratified by the overwhelmingly majority of States.

The jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice considers the prohibition of genocide as peremptory norms
of international law (see Reservations to the Convention on Genocide, 1951 I.C.J. Rep. 15, 23; see also Case
Concerning Barcelona Traction, Light and Power Co. (Belg. v. Spain), 1970 I.C.J., Rep. 3, 32). Moreover, the ICJ
recognizes that the principles underlying the Convention are principles which are recognized by civilized nations
binding on States, even without any conventional obligation.

Noteworthy, the Convention provides for a precise definition of the crime of genocide, in particular in terms of the
required intent and the prohibited acts (Article II). It also specifies that the crime of genocide may be committed in
time of peace or in time of war.

NOTES:
The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime
under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish. (Article 1).

Genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in
part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole
or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. (Article 2)

The following acts shall be punishable:

(a) Genocide;
(b) Conspiracy to commit genocide;
(c) Direct and public incitement to commit genocide;
(d ) Attempt to commit genocide;
(e) Complicity in genocide. (Article 3)

Persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in article III shall be punished, whether they are
constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals. (Article 4)

---The Genocide Convention authorizes the mandatory jurisdiction of the ICJ to adjudicate disputes, leading to
international litigation such as the Rohingya genocide case and dispute over the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.