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We are pleased to provide this 2019-2020 Report that covers the period from January 2019 through July 2020. It is a bit of a misnomer to refer to this as an annual report given the time period covered, but with this adjustment in timing we are now able to have our reporting coincide better with our work schedule.

We are excited to use this report to give you a full update about activities and accomplishments of the Institute over the past 18 months, and to look ahead to the array of new and expanded programs, new events, and new staff, visitors, and partners that will make the coming year at the Institute an exciting one.

At the same time, of course, this report comes to you in the midst of a year unlike any other. The COVID-19 pandemic, the global popular protests sparked by police violence in the United States, and the ongoing political turbulence and democratic fragility in so many countries including our own, combine to produce unprecedented levels of risk for the world’s most vulnerable populations. As we describe the Institute’s progress over the past year, we do so with those increased and emergent risks at the center of our work.

Preventing genocide and mass atrocities often comes down to working on risk assessment: on identifying risk factors that may be common to otherwise very different situations, understanding how different risks may emerge at different stages of a process that might lead to atrocity crimes, calculating which actors or mechanisms might have the best prospects to address and reduce risk, and finding ways to motivate and help them to do so. Risk management lies at the heart of the prevention movement.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a classic case of a “risk multiplier,” stressing and exacerbating virtually every known risk factor for atrocity crimes. Vulnerable populations are of course at increased risk of direct harm from the virus itself: deprived of adequate access to health care and essential medicines and with inadequate economic resources, groups already facing identity-based discrimination and persecution have a multiplied risk of dying from the coronavirus, and this is of course especially true for populations forced into overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in refugee camps. But the negative ‘knock-on effects’ that vulnerable groups face as a result of the pandemic may in many cases be just as if not more severe. Responses to the pandemic intensify the pressure on states already plagued by poor governance, capacity and legitimacy shortfalls, structural economic and social inequalities, poor human rights enforcement, and corrupt political leadership. Already targeted for persecution, vulnerable groups frequently are targets of scapegoating to shift blame and distract attention from state failures. The pandemic itself offers a temptation for authoritarian-minded political leaders to accelerate processes of democratic backsliding, further marginalize inconvenient minorities, quicken the pace for the exploitation of natural resources at the expense of Indigenous peoples, or abandon their obligations toward displaced and refugee populations.

Popular protest movements too can act as catalyzing agents, raising the threat of weak political leadership to begin a slide into mass political violence. Here too, decades of patient research and observation, gained at great cost, have given us early warning signs indicating spikes in risk. We know that political leaders who urge violent responses to peaceful protest, who seek to deploy national militaries for domestic policing, disseminate misleading and inflammatory messages, appeal to law and order as an end in itself, and depict protesting citizens as terrorists and existential threats, are themselves clear warning signs, alerting us of the beginning of a process with very bad outcomes. The days when atrocity prevention experts thought of those processes as confined to the global South are far behind us.

Both COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement for racial justice illustrate that I-GMAP needs to be focused on the United States as well as other parts of the world. It is not a matter of “either/or”, but rather “both/and.” In our courses, our research, and our partnerships, we will increasingly be attentive to maintaining this balance and reflecting inward as well as looking outward. 

Risk is a statistical projection, not fate; atrocities are processes, not events. Risk projections are sensitive to targeted interventions, and processes can be analyzed, understood, and interrupted and redirected at multiple points, by a range of different actors. The core of I-GMAP’s mission is making communication, collaboration, and joint action among different prevention actors more effective and productive. If 2020 has so far been a year of multiplying risk and growing division, it is also a time for a rededication to a shared vision of a more peaceful and equitable society, acknowledgement of the unequal burdens of histories of injustice, and undivided attention to the most vulnerable. As risks multiply and political leaders divide, we’ll continue to do our best to add what we can.

Max Pensky, co-director of I-GMAP, professor of philosophy

Nadia Rubaii, co-director of I-GMAP, professor of public administration

Linda Zheng 

Linda Zheng, a rising senior double majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Law (PPL) and Environmental Studies and minoring in GMAP, participated in two programs in transitional justice and commemorative activities for the Armenian Genocide. As part of her summer research, she worked on creating a podcast, “Stone, Wood, and Fire: Remembering the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan and ��ñ��,” to collect oral histories and research the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan and the memorial at St. Gregory’s Church in ��ñ��. To facilitate this research, she also worked abroad this summer in Armenia at the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), through American Council’s Overseas Professional and Intercultural Training Program (OPIT).

Linda Zheng received this award in honor of Dr. Harold Richter '78.

Mauricio Montes

Mauricio Montes, majoring in Human Development and Psychology and part of the Scholars program, conducted research on the mental health of individuals in Ukraine. He examined the practices Ukrainians engage in to cope with the stressors of living in political and social upheaval and how they adjust to these stressors and respond to pervasive trauma in their day-to-day life. As a part of his research he visited Kiev, Odessa, Mukachevo, and Chernivtsi.

Mauricio hopes to produce work that can be used to give back to the Ukrainian community as well as contribute to communities that have also experienced trauma at large.

Julia Donnelly

Julia Donnelly, a Political Science major, interned with Senator Maire Devine of Ireland’s National Parliament on behalf of the Bloom Family Summer Internship in Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention. By interning with Senator Devine’s office, she worked with Irish efforts to confront their history of religious strife and gain invaluable insight into how similar atrocities may be prevented in the future.

Gavin VanHorn

Gavin VanHorn, a Political Science, PPL and Spanish triple major, interned with the GULAG History Museum, an organization trying to preserve the memory of political and societal oppression in the U.S.S.R. He looked to connect his interest in GMAP with his interests in history.

In going into his internship experience, Gavin wrote, “when it comes to genocide and mass atrocity - the epitomes of moral failure in human society - new iterations will occur unless we step up. In learning about and participating in international human rights advocacy, that's exactly what I am going to do. Step up."

Madeleine Maclean

Madeleine Maclean, a Political Science major and Spanish minor, is completing a summer internship with the Refugee Family Reunification Law Clinic at Sheffield-Hallam University in the United Kingdom.

Due to the travel restrictions, Madeleine is completing the internship virtually under the supervision of a mentor based at the legal clinic. In her internship she will be working with the clinic’s attorneys and staff to assist refugees in their cases for applying for family union in the UK. Madeleine told us that, “through this internship, I hope to use the knowledge and skills I've gained through the GMAP program to help those whose lives have been upended by conflict and atrocity."

Benjamin Peterfreund

Benjamin Peterfreund, is double majoring in Philosophy Politics and Law (PPL) and Philosophy and will be interning with Together We Remember. Together We Remember is a nonprofit dedicated to transforming remembrance of past genocides, atrocities, and other acts of identity-based violence into meaningful action to achieve the promise of “Never Again.” Ben told us that, "one of the main themes from my GMAP classes has been the memory of mass atrocities: the politics of memory, the different memory practices of mass atrocities, and what memory even means, have been core questions of my studies." One of his main takeaways from his time with I-GMAP has been the way in which past atrocities are remembered, and the way in which past atrocities impact the present. Ben hopes that from his internship with Together We Remember, he is able to use what he has learned in class into practice, to learn more about the ways in which memory organizations preserve memory, and to be a part of preserving memory of past mass atrocities.

Matthew Rozansky

Matthew Rozansky, a Philosophy, Politics and Law major is working with the Simon Wiesenthal Government Advocacy Internship Program and will be placed in the Bronx Borough President’s Office. The advocacy internship program teaches interns how to use public policy and advocacy to stop anti-Semitism, bigotry, and stereotyping and ensure the proper treatment of minority communities. There he will be placed with local and state legislators to gain hands-on experience about policymaking. Matthew will also be paired with a mentor who helps shape frontline policy decisions. There will also be weekly workshops and meetings with elected officials, lobbyists, coalition builders, and high-level community leaders in order to teach interns how to be effective activists.

In Matthew’s words, “this internship will allow me to understand how my local and state governments handle and address prejudice and discriminatory practices which if left unchecked can lead to genocides. Education about strategies and protocols used by a government to prevent atrocities was a very important aspect for me while looking for an internship. My goal is to gain a practical understanding of how warning signs are discovered and handled and how plans of action are formulated and implemented."

I-GMAP Welcomes Its New Office Manager, Yongabi Ngoh

On January 2, 2020, I-GMAP welcomed Yongabi Ngoh as our new Office Manager.

Yongabi brings a wealth of skills to the position developed through a combination of education and experience. Yongabi has an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Syracuse University, with a minor in Global Security Studies and a focus on Intercultural Communications in the Middle East and North Africa. He then earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from ��ñ�� with an emphasis in nonprofit administration. Upon graduation, he worked for two years for the City of ��ñ�� Office of Economic Development as an Administrative Assistant and Grants Program Assistant. He has demonstrated his commitment to the values that underlie I-GMAP’s through a variety of student, volunteer and paid activities over the years, including his involvement in Model United Nations, Amnesty International, Global Health Corps, and Artists for Peace and Justice, among others.

Congratulations Dr. Capobianco

We are pleased to announce that I-GMAP Assistant Director Stephen Capobianco successfully defended his PhD dissertation, Understanding Influences for LGBTQI+ Inclusion in International Education: An Exploratory Study, on April 1, 2020 (no foolin’). Stephen’s research examined the intersection of macro, meso and micro factors in explaining the extent to which universities include LGBTQI+ individuals and issues within their international programming. He found that while current federal policies negatively affect LGBTQI+ inclusion, an institution’s location, brand and key individual champions can provide counterbalances that promote LGBTQI+ inclusive international education initiatives.

Stephen did an exceptional job balancing his work responsibilities with researching and writing a dissertation. We look forward to seeing what he will do next with all the free time he has now.

Rania Said, Doctoral Assistant for 2019-20

For the 2019-20 academic year, I-GMAP benefited from the research support of Rania Said, a doctoral candidate in Comparative Literature, who worked as our doctoral research assistant. Rania worked closely with Assistant Director Stephen Capobianco in organizing events and gathering information about mass atrocity prevention activities in the countries of North Africa and West Asia where her proficiency in Arabic and French was essential to access materials.

For her dissertation research, Rania examined women’s narratives from the Arab uprising, drawing examples from literature written by women activists and intellectuals and published in Arabic, French and English. Rania and her research were featured in one of ��ñ��’s alumni profiles so you can read more about her on ��ñ�� News' 2020 Commencement Profile Series. 

Dr. Rania Said has secured a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University of Massachusetts Boston. All of us at I-GMAP thank her for her contributions and wish her all the best in this next stage of her professional career.

Kerry Whigham Selected as the First Assistant Professor of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention

As part of I-GMAP’s overall growth, the development of a master’s degree in GMAP, and plans for developing and expanding online program offerings, we conducted an international search resulting in the hiring of what we believe to be the world’s first tenure track assistant professor of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention.

We had a strong and diverse applicant pool and, in early March, we interviewed four finalists through a series of day-long online presentations and meetings. We sought someone who had a clear commitment to atrocity prevention as well as experience and demonstrated ability to teach multiple courses within the GMAP curriculum; design, develop and deliver online education; contribute to both academic and practitioner dialogues; and advance an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approach to atrocity prevention. The individual who emerged as best able to meet the varied demands of the position was our very own Dr. Kerry Whigham. In our last annual report, we presented Kerry as a postdoctoral research and teaching fellow for the 2018-19 year. Elsewhere in this report, we feature some of his research accomplishments and teaching innovations as a postdoctoral fellow. Rather than restate his credentials here, we emphasize how he will contribute to I-GMAP in his new position. 

Because I-GMAP is an Institute, not an academic department, and because part of our mission is to engage the entire university in atrocity prevention, it was important that the new faculty member have a home in an academic department. Kerry’s tenure berth or academic department affiliation will be with the Department of Public Administration in the College of Community and Public Affairs. The Department faculty, staff and students have welcomed Kerry wholeheartedly and, although his position does not officially begin until late August, Kerry has already begun actively participating in departmental meetings and events. In Fall 2020, Kerry will offer a course in Comparative Genocides and another in Micro-Dynamics of Atrocity Prevention, both GMAP courses will be cross listed with Public Administration. He will also be designing and developing online programs for I-GMAP during this start-up period.

Darcie DeAngelo

Jenny Escobar

Dr. Tamara Reps Freeman

Dr. Tamara Reps Freeman, Holocaust Ethnomusicologist, Teacher, Viola Recitalist, and Singer, performed her recital lecture titled "" at the ��ñ�� Art Museum. Dr. Freeman played her 1935 Joseph Bausch viola, which was rescued after the Holocaust. With her recital and a special musical piece composed by Dr. Freeman herself, she also honored the original owner of her viola, a woman for whom the instrument was specially tailored, and who also perished in the Holocaust. Dr. Freeman's expertise using music to advance both education on Holocaust history and genocide prevention was a key component of her engagement during her visit.

Savita Pawnday

Savita Pawnday, deputy executive director of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P) visited classes, spoke with campus leadership, consulted with our faculty in the Curriculum Development Program and held a public talk on "" Pawnday oversees the Global Centre's programming in New York and Geneva, and leads on developing innovative institutional mechanisms and capacities needed to prevent mass atrocities both at national and international level. She has worked with governments and regional organizations to enhance prevention through concrete implementation of R2P and was instrumental in launching the Global Network of R2P Focal Points, the largest network of senior government officials of its kind. Currently, Ms. Pawnday is involved in leading Global Centre engagement with UN Peacekeeping and in identifying strategies, including training, on how to enhance protection capacities of peacekeepers on the ground.

Joseph Sebarenzi

Joseph Sebarenzi, the former Speaker of the Rwandan Parliament (1997-2000) and a visiting professor at SIT Graduate Institute, is a survivor of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the author of God Sleeps in Rwanda, a memoir of his personal journey before, during, and after the 1994 genocide. While in residence, he held a public presentation entitled, "" to a standing-room-only crowd in the Admissions Center auditorium.

Dr. Clara Ramírez-Barat

Dr. Clara Ramírez-Barat, director of the Educational Policies Program at the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities gave a public presentation entitled, "," which explored her work integrating an atrocity prevention lens into primary and secondary education in El Salvador and Brazil.

Marlon A. Weichert

Marlon A. Weichert, a deputy federal prosecutor in Brazil, spent his residency talking to faculty and classes about his experience as a lawyer in helping Brazil come to terms with its history of mass atrocities. He delivered a public presentation entitled, "" Marlon is the first scholar and prosecutor to publicly argue that the Amnesty Law of 1979 was contrary to international law and that crimes against humanity were perpetrated during the dictatorship. He headed the program to search and identify the remains of victims of dictatorship-era crimes, spearheaded the Brazil Never Again Digital Project, and served on the Amnesty Commission, granting reparations for victims of human rights violations during the dictatorship. Marlon was an expert witness before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (2010, 2016, and 2017) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (2008, 2014, and 2015), and has authored numerous publications on human rights and transitional justice.

Andrés Dávila-Ladrón de Guevara

Andrés Dávila-Ladrón de Guevara, director of the Department of Political Science at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia, former director of the Colombian Presidential Program for Integral Action against Anti-Personnel Mines, and director of Justice and Security at the National Department of Planning, joined I-GMAP for a week in conjunction with a visit to the Department of Public Administration. He gave a public presentation at the University Downtown Center about ""

Steven Luckert

Steven Luckert ’80, PhD ’93, acclaimed Holocaust educator and curator at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, wrapped up our Practitioner-in-Residence program for the 2018-2019 academic year with a public talk on “” held in the ��ñ�� Art Museum. We are always happy to connect with alumni when they come back to campus.

Braema Mathi

Braema Mathi, Global Fellow of the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocity at Keene State College and Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore, visited I-GMAP from October 16-20, 2019. Braema is a visiting senior research fellow at the . She gave a public presentation on “The Landscape of Human Rights in Southeast Asia,” in which she detailed the current state of human rights abuses in Southeast Asia by tracing them back to colonial history and to enduring ethnic conflicts in the region. She also spoke about the difficulties faced by human rights advocates in Southeast Asia, who have to maneuver around the strict “non-intervention” policies of the foundational ASEAN treaties. Finally, Mathi asserted the existence of quiet diplomatic negotiations, the effectiveness of which remains to be assessed.

Dr. Sixte Vigny Nimuraba

Dr. Sixte Vigny Nimuraba, Chair of the Burundian National Commission on Human Rights, visited from October 21-25, giving a public presentation on "” He spoke about the underlying causes of identity-based mass atrocities, such as those experienced in Burundi in the early 1990s, before describing the philosophy behind some of the CNIDH-led prevention initiatives. Dr. Nimuraba focused mostly on his institution's work with youth in different parts of the country. He particularly highlighted the role of guided dialogue strategically incorporated within volunteering work.

Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown, Executive Director of Project Over Zero and former CEO of Sisi Ni Amani, was on campus from November 4-8, concluding with a public talk on “”

In her very interactive public lecture, Brown discussed her interests in helping local peacebuilders mainstream their message. She discussed some of the tools that her organization provided in Kenya, like phone message threads that are designed to become viral and counter messages of political violence. Rachel also stressed the importance of harnessing local nodes in the dissemination of “positive” information.

Academic Publications

Pensky, M. (2019). Journal of Genocide Research, 21(1), 102-107.

Pensky, M. (2019). In M. Bergsmo (Ed.), Philosophical Foundations of International Criminal Law, (Vol. 2, pp. 241-267). CILRAP Publishing.

Rubaii, N., Appe, S., and Lippez-De Castro, S. (2019). Teaching Public Administration, 37(2), 175-189.

Rubaii, N., Lippez-De Castro, S., and Appe, S. (2019). América Latina Revista OPERA (Observatorio de Políticas, Ejecución y Resultados de la Administración Pública, 25, 29-54.

Whigham, K. (2019). Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal 13(3), 44-63.

Whigham, K. (2019). Holocaust Studies: A Journal of Culture and History, 26(2), 221-240.

Rubaii, N. and Appe, S. (2020). Confronting nervousness at the intersection of indigenous and gender Issues: A case study of Mexico’s efforts, accomplishments, and remaining work. In S. Gooden (Ed.), .

Whigham, Kerry. (2020). Memory Encroachments and Re-Plotting the Past: Cartographies of Violence and Memory in Post-Atrocity Argentina, Germany, and the United States. In E. Barkan, C. Goschler & J. Waller (Eds.), Routledge.

Publications in Media Outlets

Pensky, M. (2019, July). The Globe Post.

Rubaii, N. and Pensky, M. (2020). A conversation initiated by the Centre for Geopolitics.

Rubaii, N. and Araujo Jr., J.J. (2020, July). The Conversation.

Rubaii, N. and Araujo Jr., J.J. (2020, July). The Conversation.

Rubaii, N. and Araujo Jr., J.J. (2020, July). The Conversation.

Rubaii, N. and Araujo Jr., J.J. (2020, July). The Conversation.

Practitioner Reports

Rubaii, N. and Appe, S. (2019). Buenas prácticas en la protección de los derechos de pueblos indígenas originarios para la prevención de atrocidades (and the English translation, Good practices in the protection of indigenous rights for atrocity prevention). A report prepared for the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention.

Whigham, K. (2020). . Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities.

I-GMAP Co-Director Nadia Rubaii in Colombia

Co-Director Nadia Rubaii is pictured here with Cathalina Sánchez Escobar, Director of the Museo Casa de Memoria (House of Memory Museum) in Medellín, Colombia.

On January 30, 2019, as part of a broader visit to Medellín, Colombia, Nadia toured the Museum and met with Director Cathalina Sánchez Escobar. The timing of the meeting was perfect as Director Sánchez Escobar, who has a PhD in Law with an emphasis in Human Rights and Legal History, started her new position at the Museum only days before and is eager to expand the activities of the museum. The two discussed opportunities for field placements at the Museum for GMAP master's degree students, and the opportunity for scholars to access the extensive archival resources related to the Colombian conflict in the region of Antioquia stored at the Museum. 

I-GMAP Assistant Director Stephen Capobianco Speaks at Congregation Kol Ami

On Friday, February 8, 2019, Assistant Director Stephen Capobianco represented I-GMAP at the Congregation Kol Ami's monthly Synaplex Shabbat Event in White Plains, N.Y. The event organized by Jess Lorden '83 is titled "Never Again? Preventing Genocide."

In addition to speaking on the panel, Stephen led a breakout dialogue session. I-GMAP's breakout focused on how atrocity prevention can and should be part of the curriculum across all disciplines.

The event also featured Owen Pell ‘80, LLD ‘11, I-GMAP External Advisory Board member and strong supporter of I-GMAP and ��ñ�� University.

I-GMAP in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

In July, four staff members at I-GMAP traveled to Phnom Penh for the .

��ñ�� was well represented at the international conference with several panels including our faculty, staff and affiliated students.

• Co-director, Prof. Max Pensky presented on "Genocide Prevention and the Battle Against Impunity: A Critical Reconstruction and Analysis";
• Co-director, Prof. Nadia Rubaii delivered a presentation on "Preventing Genocide and Mass Atrocity of Indigenous Peoples: The Challenges of Simultaneous Multi-Stage Prevention";
• Our Post-doctoral Fellow, Dr. Kerry Whigham chaired a panel on "Artivism: Art and Social Transformation in the Face of Mass Violence";
• And with Assistant Director Stephen Capobianco, the team in Phnom Penh joined a roundtable on "Best Practices for Institutionalizing Genocide Prevention."

I-GMAP Represented at the 10th Focal Points Meeting of the Latin American Network for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities

Co-director Nadia Rubaii and Assistant Director Stephen Capobianco traveled to Asunción, Paraguay for the 10th Focal Points meeting of the . 

 Nadia presented a report at the meeting based on a survey of member countries regarding their policies and programs to protect indigenous rights. Stephen met with the members of the network to begin the transition process of the reporting on National Mechanisms for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Mass Atrocity Crimes from AIPG to ��ñ�� University. 

As a team, we are continuing our work with the Network and individual Focal Points on project ideas related to protecting the rights of indigenous people and other marginalized groups in the region.

I-GMAP at the 2019 Symposium for Alumni of the Raphael Lemkin Seminars

Co-director Max Pensky and assistant director Stephen Capobianco attended the 2019 Symposium for Alumni of the Raphael Lemkin Seminars in Paris, France. The symposium was hosted by the , the , and the . Post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Kerry Whigham also presented a refresher seminar for the participants at the symposium. 

Max and Stephen made extensive use of the informal times in between sessions to speak with participants from around the world about their roles in mass atrocity prevention in order to establish new partnerships for I-GMAP. They were fortunate to speak with several participants who work closely with or who are a part of their respective country's national mechanism.

Post-doctoral Research and Teaching Fellow, Dr. Kerry Whigham Speaks at Kupferberg Holocaust Center

Given that conflict history is one of the key predictors for atrocity violence, dealing with a history of past violence plays an essential role in any comprehensive atrocity prevention strategy. I-GMAP's 2018-2020 post-doctoral research and teaching fellow and incoming assistant professor of GMAP, Dr. Kerry Whigham gives a talk at the Kupferberg Holocaust Center (KHC) at Queensborough Community College (City University of New York) on February 18. He joined Todd Fine, president of the Washington Street Advocacy Group, for an event on "Memorialization and Memory" as part of KHC/NEH 2019-2020 Colloquium: Authoritarianism on the Continuum. 

Co-Director Nadia Rubaii Presents at the Women, Peace and Security Conference

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the three-day Women, Peace and Security Conference at ��ñ�� went online using the Zoom web conferencing platform. Our colleagues at ��ñ��'s Human Rights Institute and the Ellyn Uram Kaschak Institute for Social Justice for Women and Girls sponsored the Women, Peace and Security Conference, along with partners at the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice (Sheffield Hallam University) and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Academic Network.

On Friday, April 24, 2020 our Co-Director, Prof. Nadia Rubaii presented on “State ‘Nervousness’ as a Continued Threat to Indigenous Women’s Security” on a panel regarding Violence Against Indigenous Women. For the full program, refer to the HRI website.

Co-Director, Prof. Max Pensky Speaks on Burma Task Force Panel

On May 20, 2020, the Burma Task Force, a project of Justice for All, hosted a panel where Max virtually joined Nadira Kourt, program manager at the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect to discuss our work in atrocity prevention.

Justice for All is an NGO funded by a range of faith community donors and operates campaigns to raise public awareness of human rights violations.

Co-Director Nadia Rubaii Joins Panel for Launch of New Risk Monitoring System in Colombia

On Thursday, June 4, 2020 Professor Rubaii, co-director of I-GMAP, joined a panel of experts to discuss different aspects of the monitoring system and the relevance of this system as a prevention tool. This panel was hosted by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) and Javeriana University in Colombia.

Nadia joined others to bring an international perspective on monitoring systems and lessons from other countries to an online audience of close to 9,000. Her panel included Diego García-Sayán, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers and former judge on the Interamerican Court of Human Rights, Andrei Gómez Suárez, professor at the Institute of the Americas at University College London (UCL), and Eugenia Carbone, director of the Latin American Program at the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities and technical secretariat of the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention. 

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) and Javeriana University launched a new monitoring system of risks, designed to assess risks and serve as a prevention tool of human rights violations and atrocity crimes. 

Co-Director, Prof. Max Pensky Joins Panel on R2P, International Justice and the Battle Against Impunity

On May 13, 2020, Co-Director, Professor Max Pensky spoke on a panel hosted by the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Geopolitics on R2P, International Justice and the Battle Against Impunity. 

He joined Andrew Mitchell, member of the British parliament for Sutton Coldfield & Secretary of State for International Development from 2010 to 2012 and Savita Pawnday, deputy executive director of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect based in New York.

Incoming Assistant Professor of GMAP, Dr. Kerry Whigham Speaks on University of Cambridge Panel

The incoming Assistant Professor of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, Dr. Kerry Whigham joins a panel hosted by the University of Cambridge's Centre for Geopolitics on June 17, 2020. The title of the panel is, "Advocacy and Memory: the role for NGOs in R2P." He joins Wai Wai Nu, founder and director of You Leadership Center in Yangon, current Obama Foundation Scholar at Columbia University and Karen Smith, special adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Responsibility to Protect.  

“NGOs and civil society actors around the world play an important role in implementing the promise of Responsibility to Protect. Whether advocating for accountability for atrocity crimes, lobbying national governments, promoting awareness of the principles of sovereignty as responsibility, or preserving the memory of victims, NGOs have been a key component of the vibrant civil society support for R2P. Given the particularly challenging environment that NGOs find themselves in during the pandemic and associated political developments, how can they adapt to these new circumstances? And what happens to the Responsibility to Protect if NGOs are less able to operate? What might NGOs do to ensure they are able to continue fulfilling this role? And what would be the consequences for suffering populations if the economic and political climate for humanitarian NGOs deteriorates further?” - From the . 

Co-Director Nadia Rubaii Presents on University of Cambridge Panel, “Indigenous Peoples & the Responsibility to Protect”

On July 15, 2020, Co-Director Nadia Rubaii participated in a virtual panel discussion regarding Indigenous Peoples and the Responsibility to Protect hosted by the Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge. The panel also included India Reed Bowers, founder & director of the International Organization for Self-Determination & Equality (IOSDE) and Karine Duhamel, researcher-curator at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. The discussion was organized around the following questions: How can we understand R2P as a mechanism for protecting minority groups subject to long standing historical practices of oppression? And how does the ‘State-centric’ focus of R2P account for the formal rights of autonomy and self-determination held by many indigenous peoples? You can watch the panel discussion on and read an . 

Mr. Avi J. Abel '98

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