The Responsibility to Protect populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing has emerged as an important global principle since the adoption of the UN World Summit Outcome Document in 2005. Since the conception of R2P, individual states and regional organizations, the UN, civil society, and experts around the world have worked to establish what implementation of R2P and the prevention of mass atrocity crimes means in practice. However, despite the established consensus regarding the imperative to prevent atrocity crimes, populations continue to suffer from persistent abuses around the world and many of the risk factors for atrocity crimes are trending in the wrong direction.

The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect and the Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect have developed a guide for States on steps to take to protect populations from atrocity crimes, at home and abroad. “A Framework for Action for the Responsibility to Protect: A Resource for States” consolidates and builds upon existing expertise from published works and best practice from states, regional organizations and the UN on how to prevent and respond to atrocity crimes.

This event brought together relevant stakeholders, including both current and former Special Advisers on the Responsibility to Protect, to discuss the current state of R2P implementation, as well as how this framework can be utilized to assess gaps and identify opportunities to address atrocity risks nationally, regionally and around the world.

The event featured a presentation of the Framework for Action for R2P by:

• • • Rebecca Barber, Mary Wing-Ming Lee Senior Human Rights Research Fellow at the Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
    • Jaclyn Streitfeld-Hall, Director of Policy and Research at the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

The event also featured remarks from:

• • • H.E. Fiona Webster, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations

Following the framework presentation, Global Centre Executive Director Savita Pawnday facilitated a panel discussion featuring:

• • • George Okoth-Obbo, UN Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect
    • Karen Smith, Former UN Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect
    • H.E. Ivan Šimonović, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Croatia to the UN and the Former UN Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect