From June 18-21, 2017, the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR) joined with the Global Diplomacy Lab (GDL) initiative to hold the 6th iteration of the series in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Global Diplomacy Lab works as a “platform for “exploring a new and more inclusive diplomacy which goes beyond traditional politics” and is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stiftung Mercator, and the Global Leadership Academy. This event, entitled “Cutting-Edge Networks: Interweaving Regional Capacities for Mass Atrocity Prevention at the Local Level,” brought together 38 representatives of governments, academia, civil society organizations, and the private sector for a program that included site visits, seminar-style modules, and informal roundtable discussions.
The Global Diplomacy Lab in Buenos Aires looked to foster discussion and analysis on regional networks for prevention as innovative and inclusive diplomatic solutions to the global challenge posed by mass atrocities. By doing so, the event sought to use existing regional networks and their contributions to national policy agendas as examples to guide the growth and development of new networks and cross-regional initiatives. Within this broad scope, a special emphasis was placed on efforts featuring South-South cooperation between the African and Latin American regions.
The Lab began on June 18 with a short opening session, which was followed by the first roundtable discussion segments devoted to examining existing networks for prevention. The second day was comprised of visits to relevant sites in Buenos Aires – including the Metropolitan Foundation, the House for the “Right to Identity” of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, and the Remembrance Park – as well as group training sessions on diverse skillsets. The third day was convened at the Centre for Remembrance and Human Rights, located at the site of a dictatorship-era clandestine detention facility formerly known as ESMA. In addition to a visit to this site of memory, a substantive “Open Situation Room” session was led by AIPR alumni José Luis Guerra, Fabian Oddone, and Lady Justice Jamila Mohammed. The event concluded on the following day with more discussion ahead of a closing session with remarks from members of the Global Diplomacy Lab’s Advisory Council and representatives of AIPR.
For more information on the Global Diplomacy Lab series, please visit their website at https://global-diplomacy-lab.org/.