New York, April 23, 2012 – The Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation commends the creation of the U.S. Atrocities Prevention Board, announced today by President Barack Obama at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in Washington, DC.
Auschwitz Institute executive director Tibi Galis attended the Board’s rollout at the White House today. The event, moderated by National Security Council Senior Director for Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs Samantha Power, the Board’s chair, featured three panel discussions , broadcast live over the web.
A White House Fact Sheet released after the President’s speech stated that “Preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility of the United States,” and that “President Obama has made the prevention of atrocities a key focus of this Administration’s foreign policy.”
Galis emphasized the importance of education and training for policymakers throughout the government to support the work of the Atrocities Prevention Board, pointing to a report issued last year that identified a “clear need for increased professional development on crisis prevention,” including the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities. The report, published by the Center for American Progress, said the Auschwitz Institute’s programs should be made available “for all State and USAID employees.”
The Auschwitz Institute is the chief nonprofit partner of the U.S. government in building capacity to prevent genocide. Members of the State Department, the FBI, and the U.S. Army have participated in our programs, held on the Holocaust site of Auschwitz in Poland.