Thanks to the support of advocates across the country, we have made significant progress in building bipartisan leadership to encourage the U.S. government to pivot to peace by investing in the structures, tools and resources necessary to prevent violent conflict before it starts.
However, there is much more to do both before the end of 2016 and in early 2017 as a new Congress and President take office.
Unfortunately, today’s crises and their dire humanitarian consequences demonstrate how critical early prevention is to protect civilian lives and support our shared security.
The Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, S. 2551 (GAPA) now before the Senate details a comprehensive strategy to ensure the U.S. government can focus on and address the root causes of violent conflict as a policy priority. However, there is much more to do both before the end of 2016 and in early 2017 as a new Congress and President take office.
Urge your Senators to lead on the prevention of violent conflict by co-sponsoring S.2551
We have seen some successes.
- We know that Americans care about preventing violent conflict. At the 2015 Quaker Public Policy Institute held November 12- 13, 409 people lobbied their Senators in person to support introduction of GAPA. Nearly 45,000 emails have been sent to Senate offices urging co-sponsorship of the bill. This constituent advocacy was crucial in getting the bill introduced on February 11, 2016.
- In the relatively short time since the bill was introduced, over a quarter of the Senate has signed on in support. Again, much of this is thanks to continued outreach from constituents.
- Following on the bill’s introduction by Senate leaders, President Obama issued Executive Order (E.O. 13729) on a “Comprehensive Approach to Atrocity Prevention and Response” that reinforces the need for and publicly details the structure of the Atrocities Prevention Board.
- Finally, following on the bill’s recommended authorization of additional funding for the work of the Atrocities Prevention Board, Senate Appropriators suggested a $25 million Atrocities Prevention Fund in their bill for Fiscal Year 2017. Notably, House Appropriators also recognized the need.
While the bill is unlikely to pass into law this year, ongoing efforts over the next several months will help to determine the fate of the legislation in the next Congress. We need as much bipartisan support from current Senators as possible to continue the momentum and ensure strong re-introduction in early 2017. Have your Senators signed on to co-sponsor GAPA?
Urge your Senators to lead on the prevention of violent conflict by co-sponsoring S.2551
The bipartisan bill – introduced by Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Thom Tillis (R-Tenn.) and their colleagues – seeks to permanently authorize the Atrocities Prevention Board, officially establishes the Complex Crisis Fund (a key funding mechanism used to prevent and respond to crises), requires Foreign Service Officers to be trained in conflict and atrocities prevention, and requires the Director of National Intelligence to include reporting on countries at-risk for genocide and atrocities in annual testimony before Congress. Through these measures, GAPA will not only save human lives, but will also save money, support national security, and work to prevent the further deployment of the U.S. military.