Leila Sadat | Shaping International humanitarian Law
Leila Sadat, the James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law and director of the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, serves as Special Adviser on Crimes Against Humanity to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor. In 2008, Sadat launched the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative, a groundbreaking effort to write the world’s first global treaty on crimes against humanity, addressing their punishment and prevention. A distinguished international legal expert, Sadat became aware of a gap in international humanitarian law. While there are conventions dealing with genocide and war crimes, there is no convention covering crimes against humanity. This initiative seeks to fill the vacuum in the array of legal instruments available to deal with atrocity crimes and to ensure that we have mechanisms in place to investigate and punish the perpetrators of such crimes. For over a decade, Sadat has spearheaded the initiative, working tirelessly to mobilize international support, draft and secure the ultimate adoption of a new Convention on Crimes Against Humanity. In this video Sadat discusses her work with the ICC, Harris World Law Institute and the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative. Learn more about international criminal law in her TEDx talk