The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide is an international treaty adopted by the United Nations in 1948. It defines genocide as actions intended to destroy a group of people based on their nationality, ethnicity, race, or religion. The treaty makes genocide a crime and requires countries to prevent it and punish those responsible. It aims to protect people from mass killings and other acts meant to wipe out entire groups. The key figure in its creation was Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-Jewish lawyer who coined the term "genocide" and campaigned tirelessly for the international community to recognize and prevent this crime. Lemkin's work was instrumental in shaping the content and focus of the Convention.
The original text of the Genocide Convention published in 1948 is below.