Adoption of the 2024 UN Resolution on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions

On November 14, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee adopted a resolution addressing extrajudicial, summary, and arbitrary executions.

The resolution upholds the right to life for all individuals and reaffirms the obligation of UN Member States, under international law, to prevent unlawful killings, protect those are risk, and ensure accountability when such acts occur. The resolution also lists groups particularly vulnerable to unlawful killings. Notably, sexual orientation has been included as a protected category since 2000, and gender identity since 2012.

This briefing paper provides background on the resolution, examines voting trends, and identifies Member States that have changed their votes or co-sponsorship status since the resolution was last introduced in 2022. It also includes an annotated transcript of the Third Committee session during which the resolution was adopted, along with the full text of the resolution and its proposed amendment.

This was made possible with support from Tess Mcevoy, programme director and legal counsel at ISHR, and Fabiana Leibl, programme manager at ISHR.