Regional Workshop for Legislative and Executive Officials on Mass Atrocity Prevention from ASEAN and other Southeast Asian States

The workshop will work toward three primary aims: understand the root causes and risk factors associated with genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity; develop strategies for building national resilience to atrocities; and identify policy strategies and options to deal with important risk factors in the region.

To achieve these objectives, modules will introduce participants to the concepts of genocide and other atrocity crimes, the processes by which they occur, and the principle of the Responsibility to Protect and its role in the prevention of mass violence and atrocities. Participants will learn about and develop practical competencies necessary to promote prevention at all stages of the conflict cycle: upstream, before atrocities have begun; mid-stream, once atrocities have occurred; and downstream, when a society begins to rebuild after atrocities have ended.

The workshop will also address institutional capabilities necessary for prevention by providing guidance on ways government structures can build capacity to analyze and address risk factors for atrocity crimes. Finally, the program will examine the special role played by both the executive and legislative branches of government in the prevention of mass atrocities and the necessarily collaborative relationship that must exist between each branch for comprehensive and effective preventive action.