NEW YORK, August 9, 2013 – Earlier this month, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released The Responsibility to Protect: State Responsibility and Prevention, his fifth Report on R2P since 2009. This Report singles out the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention as an example of a “partnership for prevention.” The Network, co-organized by the governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela and AIPR, is the world’s first regional initiative on genocide prevention.
The Secretary-General Report focuses on the responsibility of states to protect their populations by developing national capacities to build societies resilient to atrocities and highlights challenges some states face in this regard. According to the Report, “political will and leadership are required” to fulfill the commitment made at the 2005 World Summit to strengthen national atrocity prevention capacity. Furthermore: “Atrocity prevention must be rooted in national efforts to create a society that is resilient to atrocity crimes and in international efforts to assist other states, should the need arise.”
The Secretary-General points to the importance of “building partnerships for prevention” to overcome these barriers and bolster resilience. “Partnerships, rooted in national ownership of atrocity prevention efforts, can provide Member States with technical assistance and resources to strengthen national capacities. They can also pave the way for strengthened regional and international collaboration on atrocity prevention,” states the Report. It continues in paragraph 70:
As an example of regional partnership, 18 States launched the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention in 2012. In collaboration with civil society partners and my Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and on the Responsibility to Protect, this coalition supports initiatives by its members to build national capacity to prevent atrocity crimes.
AIPR is honored that the Latin American Network, the first regional initiative on genocide prevention of its kind, was singled-out by the Secretary-General. This recognition marks a significant milestone in our shared mission to prevent genocide and mass atrocity.
Click here to access the full English-language version of Responsibility to Protect: State Responsibility and Prevention (other language versions can be found here ). The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect released a summary of the Report here , and the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect, of which AIPR is a member organization, also posted a summary.