Practioners and legal experts from countries across five continents have concluded that the current international procedural legal framework for mutual legal assistance and extradition for the most serious international crimes is incomplete and outdated. This seriously hampers the ability of States to cooperate effectively in the fight against impunity. That is why Argentina, Belgium, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Senegal, and Slovenia propose to set up a modern procedural multilateral treaty on mutual legal assistance and extradition which would facilitate better practical cooperation between States investigating and prosecuting these crimes, the MLA initiative.
Following years of extensive preparatory work, the negotiations on the draft convention took place during a two-week Diplomatic Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in May 2023. During this Conference, 68 States adopted by consensus the text of the Ljubljana - The Hague Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and other International Crimes.
The Ljubljana - The Hague Convention is a landmark international treaty that will help deliver justice to victims of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other international crimes by facilitating effective and efficient international cooperation in the domestic investigation and prosecution of these crimes. By doing so, it empowers national justice systems and allows for States to fulfill their international legal obligations in the fight against impunity for international crimes.
Now that the text of the Ljubljana - The Hague Convention has been adopted, the next step is for States to sign and ratify the Convention. For that purpose, a Signing Conference will be held in The Hague, the Netherlands, from February 14 to 15, 2024.
For questions regarding the Signing Conference you can contact: MLA-initiative@minjenv.nl
For more information on The Ljubljana - The Hague Convention and related documents, please visit: MLA Initiative | GOV.SI
Introductory video about MLA initiative (00:02:57)
