In April 2004, marking the 10th Anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, Secretary-General Kofi Annan, announced his intention to create a United Nations post dedicated to genocide prevention. The position would have a direct reporting line to the Secretary-General and through him to the United Nations Security Council. On 12 July 2004 Juan Mendez (Argentina) was appointed as the first ever Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide (SAPG). The incumbent, Dr. Francis Deng (Sudan), was appointed on 29 May 2007.

To ensure civil society engagement with emerging genocide prevention mechanisms within the UN system, the World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP) and Minority Rights Group International (MRG) began a collaborative project on genocide prevention in 2006. WFM-IGP and MRG work together to support civil society access and input to UN genocide prevention mechanisms, including the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide (OSAPG). We share a long commitment to international efforts to end impunity, prevent genocide and monitor minority rights.

The Genocide Prevention Project works to facilitate early action to prevent genocide and mass violations of human rights. The project advocates civil society perspectives on genocide prevention and early warning information, ensuring this information reaches the OSAPG and the broader UN system at headquarters in New York.

For more on the work of the Genocide Prevention project please click here.