12 December 2014
Deputy-Secretary-General underscored collective responsibility to prevent atrocity crimes at launch of new UN tool to prevent atrocity crimes
With much more needing to be done to prevent crises and protect populations at risk of genocide, the Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes offered a route to reaching that vitally important goal, the Deputy-Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said at the tool’s official launch.
The Framework was developed by the UN Office of the Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and on the Responsibility to Protect. It is an analysis and risk assessment tool that uses a set of risk factors and related indicators to identify and prevent atrocity crimes. Mr. Eliasson said it could promote a systematic approach to assessing the risks of atrocity crimes as well as opportunities for preventive action.
Stressing the importance of learning from past experiences, including failures, and underscoring the collective responsibility to prevent atrocity crimes that is rooted in international law, Mr. Eliasson underlined the importance of seeking ways to improve the UN’s ability to situations that could give rise to atrocity crimes.
That desire had informed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s launch of the Human Rights Up Front initiative and the Framework has already been used under that initiative. It contributed to a more coordinated approach to assessing information on human rights situations, and to taking action in specific cases like South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
Source: UN News Centre | UN launches new tool to help to stop atrocity crimes ‘before tensions escalate’