Expert Voices on Atrocity Prevention

In this episode we sat down with Leila Sadat, James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, Former Special Adviser to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor on Crimes Against Humanity, and Director of the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative. She provides background information on the Draft Articles on the Prevention and Punishment of Cr...

In this episode, we sat down with Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh, Senior Associate for Africa and Regional Director at the National Democratic Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, DC. Dr. Fomunyoh discusses how and why elections and political transitions can serve as triggers for potential atrocities, and explains the range of risks that can arise during election periods...

In this episode we mark three years since the military coup in Myanmar by sitting down with Yanghee Lee, former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar and Co-Founder of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar. Yanghee reflects on her term as Special Rapporteur from 2014 to 2020, providing insights into the numerous developments that the people of Myanmar endured, and di...

In this episode, we sat down with Philip Grant, Executive Director of TRIAL International. Philip shares the unique story behind the founding of TRIAL International and an overview of the organization's work in the pursuit of justice and accountability in the aftermath of atrocities across the world. He explains why all justice efforts, including criminal accountability, reparations and redress, a...

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, we sat down with Naomi Kikoler, Director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. During this episode Naomi discusses the importance of monitoring and analyzing atrocity risks and how she and her Center work with decision-makers and states ...

In this episode, we mark the one year anniversary of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement that halted the fighting in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region on 3 November. The episode begins with an overview of the crimes committed during the conflict with our Ethiopia expert, Sarah Hunter. Sarah also outlines why the international community must continue to monitor the crises in the country. We then...

In this episode, we sat down with Samuel Emonet, Executive Director of Justice Rapid Response. During the episode Samuel shares how Justice Rapid Response supports investigations into grave violations of international law. Samuel explains Justice Rapid Response's methodology in deploying experts with a wide array of specialized skills to aid in investigating and documenting crimes and how they uph...

In this episode, we sat down with Muzna Alhaj, a Sudanese activist and a member of a Khartoum-based Resistance Committee. Muzna explains the outbreak of violence in Sudan in April 2023 and how the crisis has affected the role Resistance Committees play in their communities. She also discusses the current atrocity risks faced by civilians and steps the international community can take to support lo...

In this episode we sat down with the Global Centre's Geneva Representative, Elisabeth Pramendorfer. During the episode Elisabeth explains the importance of the Human Rights Council (HRC) and other Geneva-based mechanisms in atrocity prevention, and shares some examples of recent challenges and successes in atrocity prevention advocacy in Geneva. She also highlights how UN member states can ensure...

In this episode we spoke with Dr. Kate Ferguson, Co-Executive Director of Protection Approaches, and Dr. Jess Gifkins, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Manchester and the Queering Atrocity Prevention Research Fellow at Protection Approaches. During the episode, Dr. Ferguson and Dr. Gifkins explain how Protection Approaches aims to improve intersectional assessments o...

In this episode we spoke with Sareta Ashraph, an international criminal barrister currently consulting for the Center for Justice and Accountability and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide. During the conversation, Sareta reflects on her extensive experience investigating atrocity crimes, as well as her work with the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syr...

In this episode we spoke with Tomás Ojea Quintana, former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). During this episode, Tomás reflects on key moments from his tenure as Special Rapporteur, highlighting critical findings regarding potential crimes against humanity in the DPRK, as well as the challenges in investigating and influenci...

In this episode we spoke with Meena Syed, Political Coordinator and Minister Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations in New York. Meena reflects on Norway's 2021-2022 term as an elected member of the UN Security Council (UNSC), including some of the challenges the Council continues to face in carrying out its mandate to maintain international peace and security. She sha...

In this episode we spoke with Ahmad Helmi, Co-Founder and Manager of the Ta'afi Initiative. Ahmad shares his story as a Syrian human rights defender and survivor and the impetus for founding the Ta'afi Initiative. During the episode, he explains the importance of survivor-led and survivor-centered justice, as well as the vision set out in the Truth and Justice Charter. Ahmad also discusses how the...

In our first episode of 2023 we sat down with our Executive Director, Savita Pawnday. During the episode Savita shares how her experience as a human rights advocate at the Global Centre has grown alongside the evolution of the Responsibility to Protect principle and reflects on the challenges the international community continues to face in preventing and responding to atrocities. She highlights h...

In our final episode of 2022 we spoke with Tiffany Easthom, Executive Director of Nonviolent Peaceforce. During the episode, Tiffany discusses the unique model of Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) and shares how it can be used to address critical gaps in the protection and prevention architecture. While highlighting countries where UCP has been implemented, she shares her views on how it can be a...

In this episode we spoke with Beatriz Borges, Executive Director of Centro de Justicia y Paz (CEPAZ). During the episode, Beatriz shares her unique experience as a human rights defender from Venezuela and sheds light on the risks faced by civil society across the country. She also highlights the important avenues through which the international community and external stakeholders should address th...

In this episode we spoke with Patricia Sellers, an international criminal lawyer currently serving as the Special Advisor for Slavery Crimes for the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, where she previously served as the Special Advisor for Gender. During the episode, Patricia explains the unique ways in which gender makes one vulnerable to atrocities, as well as how the l...

This episode is the first of a two-part series examining the situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country during August 2021. For part one we sat down with Horia Mosadiq, an Afghan human rights defender, journalist and Director of the Conflict Analysis Network. During the episode, Horia explains how the treatment and targeting of particular populations - including women, civil...

In this episode we sat down with Dr. Chile Eboe-Osuji, former President of the International Criminal Court and current Distinguished International Jurist at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University. During the episode, Dr. Eboe-Osuji reflects on the lessons learned from his diverse career in international justice and provides insights on the enduring value of the Res...

Coinciding with the release of the UN Secretary-General's report on the Responsibility to Protect - which this year focuses on the impact of atrocities on children and the role of youth in preventing atrocities - in this episode we sat down with Adrianne Lapar, Director of Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict. During the episode, Adrianne reflects on the progress made on the Children and Armed...

In this episode we sat down with the Professor the Hon. Gareth Evans, Chair of our International Advisory Board and one of the architects of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). During the episode Professor Evans discusses the inspiration for his decades-long career in human rights and conflict resolution. He also reflects on the benchmarks against which he judges the success of R2P and shares why...

This episode begins with a discussion of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine with the Global Centre's Communications and Digital Media Officer, Sarah Hunter. We then sat down with Rebecca Barber, a research fellow with the Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect and a PhD scholar with the TC Beirne School of Law at the University of Queensland. During the episode Ms. Barber discusses the i...

In this episode we sat down with Professor Alexander Hinton, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Director of the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, and UNESCO Chair in Genocide Prevention at Rutgers University, to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the episode Professor Hinton examines the veracity of Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims of genocide in easter...

In this special episode, the Global Centre team answers questions we frequently receive from our followers and colleagues to clarify common misconceptions about the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). During this episode, we discuss how the international community continues to encounter difficulties when confronting mass atrocity crimes and protracted conflicts around the world. The Global Centre tea...