In the days following the downing of MH17 on 17 July 2014, Australian Government lawyers collaborated with colleagues from partner nations to establish the international legal framework necessary to enable a rapid and coordinated international response to this tragedy. This framework, comprising seven separate international instruments, enabled the deployment of Australian personnel to assist in securing the crash site, and the recovery, identification and repatriation of the victims to their grieving families. It also supported the conduct of the aircraft accident investigation, and continues to enable the work of the criminal investigation and efforts to ensure accountability of those responsible. This paper details the purpose and effect of each of these instruments and the key principles of international law that underpin them.