Last Friday at the United Nations, the International Union for Conservation of Nature elaborated the merits of adding environmental destruction to the list of crimes against humanity, and commended the proposal of the IUCN World Commission of Environmental Law as a concrete, realistic text that could be supported by all States. IUCN’s statement took place as part of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity, which is being held at United Nations Headquarters from 19 through 30 January 2026.

In anticipation of forthcoming negotiations, IUCN WCEL prepared a proposal to add “widespread, long-lasting, or severe destruction of the natural environment as the means of destruction, damage, or injury to any civilian population” to the list of crimes against humanity in a future convention.

In its statement, IUCN observed that: “It is tragically foreseeable that environmental destruction could be utilized as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population, with potentially devastating consequences. This concern is exacerbated by a number of contemporary factors, including the exponential growth rate of the global population, which relies on limited natural resources that are themselves becoming less accessible due to overuse, climate change, and weather extremes.”

IUCN added that: “Given the fundamental importance of natural resources to survival, it may be inevitable that at least some attacks directed against a civilian population are likely to include acts having widespread, long-lasting, or severe destruction of the natural environment as the means of destruction, damage, or injury to the civilian population. This is conduct that merits enumeration as a standalone crime against humanity.” 

The Preparatory Committee meetings are being attended by IUCN WCEL member Mr. Christopher Lentz. The Permanent Observer of IUCN to the UN, Dr. Sofie Jaffe, has also been in attendance and, following IUCN’s statement, she observed that: “A peaceful and sustainable planet is at the core of IUCN’s mission. Destruction of our natural world should not be accepted as a by-product of attacks on civilians, but rather should be recognized as a criminal act directed against all of humanity. The extensive work of WCEL in this regard and the recent adoption of IUCN Resolution 8.048 on crimes that affect the environment are a testament to IUCN’s strengthened engagement on these critical issues.” 

These Preparatory Committee meetings are being held pursuant to General Assembly Resolution 79/122 in order to prepare formal negotiations to elaborate and conclude a legally binding instrument on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity. After the conclusion of this first session on 30 January 2026, the second session is to continue over four days in 2027. This will be followed by the Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries in 2028 and 2029, unless the Preparatory Committee agrees otherwise, with the possibility of a further session in 2030 if necessary, bearing in mind the aim of developing a convention that enjoys the broadest possible support.