Since its inception in 2008, the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect has emerged as the leading international authority on atrocity prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. The Global Centre is the only organization that systematically monitors, researches and advocates on all current and potential mass atrocity situations around the globe. In addition to generating political will and action, the Global Centre has served as a custodian of the Responsibility to Protect, contributing to the evolution of the norm and advancing conceptual clarity on its implementation. The Global Centre also frames the narrative on country situations through an atrocity prevention lens, which highlights who is at risk, what factors contribute to that risk and what needs to be done to ensure their protection.
To make our mission a reality, we work with policy enablers (mid- to high-level government officials) and decision makers (government ministers, parliamentarians and other senior leaders) to compel them to take action that can effectively protect people from mass atrocities. By building, nurturing and expanding relationships with policy enablers and decision makers, the Global Centre works as a valued insider and policy adviser to governments around the world, while also serving as a vocal advocate for affected communities – including human rights defenders, victims and survivors.
Utilizing this unique “insider/outsider” role in multilateral spaces, the Global Centre transforms how the international community thinks and acts regarding mass atrocity crimes. By helping policy enablers and decision makers within governments and the UN account for atrocity risks in certain country situations, the Global Centre mobilizes effective and context-specific responses. When these actors understand what it means to uphold R2P and how to operationalize it effectively, they are better equipped to leverage tools and act decisively in situations where populations are at risk.
For more information on our Theory of Change, click here.
For more on our program of work, see our Impact Reports:
Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies
The Graduate Center, CUNY
365 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5203
New York, NY 10016-4309, USA