Pledge To Protect: U.S. Congress, Pledge to Prevent Genocide

"Whenever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe." - Elie Wiesel, Author, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust Survivor

After the Holocaust, the world said "Never Again." Yet today, global displacement as a result of conflict and atrocities has hit a record high. Conflicts in Burma, Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, and elsewhere rage on despite billions spent on humanitarian relief, damage to regional economies, and enormous refugee crises. As a recent report by the humanitarian NGO Mercy Corps stated, "Just ten years ago, about 80 percent of humanitarian aid went to helping the victims of natural disasters. Yet today, 80 percent of aid is going to people whose lives have been turned upside down by conflict. The change has been so dramatic that the World Bank now recognizes conflict as the primary cause of poverty and human suffering -- not just one among various causes."

As one of the most influential world powers, the United States has a moral and pragmatic responsibility to invest in and support genocide prevention efforts. Passing the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act (GAPA) would be an immense step in the right direction, improving U.S. government coordination on atrocity prevention, providing flexible funding to respond to unforeseen crises, and requiring Foreign Service Officers to undergo atrocity prevention training. These policies would massively improve our ability to respond to and mitigate emerging atrocities.

As we reflect on the lives lost to genocide and mass atrocities throughout history, we commit ourselves to fighting for a world without genocide and mass atrocities. We urge Congress to support GAPA, and invite you to #PledgeGAPAGAPA with us. The U.S. has long been a leader in the fight to end genocide; we must continue to lead on this vital bipartisan issue before more innocent lives are needlessly cut short.