Topic A) Strategies to curb incitement of genocide and inter-ethnic violence by armed groups, due to the multifaceted crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Topic B) Measures to slow down genocidal practices towards the Uyghur community in the People’s Republic of China, along with the repercussions it brings

Background and faculties

The United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect (UNOGP) has a crucial role in promoting the efforts to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, massive human rights violations, and other crimes against humanity (atrocity crimes), as to their incitement at the national and international levels. The Office was established with the support and collaboration of two Special Advisers, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, both with a common methodology of early warning, assessment and evaluation of mass atrocities. The United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention was approved by the United Nations (UN) in 2004, subsequently in 2005, all Heads of State and Government added the “responsibility to protect” to avoid past defeats in genocide prevention and to take political commitment against persecution. Furthermore, the Office focuses on the promotion of the Responsibility to Protect as a principle that seeks international action and provides training on the UN’s capacity to respond to hideous crimes.

The United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect aims to prevent any kind of crimes against humanity, therefore is entitled to;

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• Provide advice and technical assistance to UN Member States with Action Plans, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for atrocity crimes, as well as the coordination of international organizations to improve their capacities on conflict prevention and human rights protection;

• Collect and analyze fundamental information on situations that could lead to genocide, to generate recommendations for preventive, diplomatic and humanitarian action to confront these situations;

• Identify and evaluate the risks of potential threats of genocide or other mass atrocities with the use of an early warning tool, such as the Framework of Analysis, to establish risk indicators and alert mechanisms;

• Create educational and training programs aimed at government officials, security forces and other relevant actors to help strengthen government policies and institutions, as well as facilitate the negotiation of agreements between parties in conflict;

• Resort to military intervention as a last resource to arrest cases of genocide in progress or to protect the civilian population, respecting the principles of international law and the consent of the affected State, through humanitarian interventions, development of peacekeeping forces and protection measures.