Proposal to recognise ecocide as a crime against humanity in international law w/ Professor of Law at the University of Waikato, Leilani Tuala-Warren: 19th September, 2024

Vanuatu, Fiji, and Samoa have formally requested an amendment to the principal treaty of the International Criminal Court to add ecocide alongside genocide, war crimes, and aggression to the international community’s list of most serious crimes. 

If successful, ecocide would become the fifth recognized international crime.

As one of the founding members of the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, Aotearoa New Zealand has and continues to advocate for the importance of the court’s role as a last resort to try the most serious crimes against humanity.

Sofia spoke to Professor of Law at the University of Waikato and former judge of the Supreme Court in Samoa, Leilani Tuala-Warren, about this proposal, what criminalising ecocide could look like, and how Aotearoa New Zealand should respond. 

She began the interview asking her firstly what ecocide is.