United Nations General Assembly Resolution 96
Encyclopedia
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 96 of 11 December 1946, titled "The Crime of Genocide", was a resolution
of the United Nations
General Assembly during its first session that affirmed that genocide
was a crime under international law
. Prior to this resolution, acts of genocide were legally considered to be subsumed within crimes against humanity.
The resolution on genocide invited the United Nations Economic and Social Council
to draw up an international treaty that would oblige states to prevent and punish acts of genocide. Two years later, the General Assembly adopted the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
, which provided a legal definition of the crime of genocide for the first time. The treaty came into force in 1951.
United Nations General Assembly Resolution
A United Nations General Assembly Resolution is voted on by all member states of the United Nations in the General Assembly.General Assembly resolutions usually require a simple majority to pass...
of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
General Assembly during its first session that affirmed that genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
was a crime under international law
International criminal law
International criminal law is a body of international law designed to prohibit certain categories of conduct commonly viewed as serious atrocities and to make perpetrators of such conduct criminally accountable for their perpetration. Principally, it deals with genocide, war crimes, crimes against...
. Prior to this resolution, acts of genocide were legally considered to be subsumed within crimes against humanity.
The resolution on genocide invited the United Nations Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
to draw up an international treaty that would oblige states to prevent and punish acts of genocide. Two years later, the General Assembly adopted the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948 as General Assembly Resolution 260. The Convention entered into force on 12 January 1951. It defines genocide in legal terms, and is the culmination of...
, which provided a legal definition of the crime of genocide for the first time. The treaty came into force in 1951.