This meeting reported on the second international meeting (GAAMAC II) of the Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes (GAAMAC) which took place in Manila from 2 to 4 February 2016 on the theme of “Preventing atrocities: How to strengthen national atrocity prevention architectures.”

GAAMAC is a voluntary, state-led network that brings together a wide array of stakeholders to support states to develop national architectures.  Through its global meetings, newsletter, website, state and civil society convening, outreach and other initiatives, GAAMAC aims to increase communication, encourage collaboration, engender peer-to-peer exchanges for strengthening national atrocity prevention efforts.

The second international meeting (GAAMAC II) brought together more than 200 individuals, including delegates from over 50 states, 50+ non-governmental organizations and 10 international bodies.  Over the course of three fruitful days, GAAMAC II convened interested governments, regional organizations, NGOs, and relevant UN offices to discuss the challenges of developing national architectures on atrocity prevention and to strengthen the capacities and strategies of states, international bodies and non-governmental organizations in this field.  GAAMAC II provided small group sessions dealing with 13 different topics for the participants to share and exchange their practical knowledge and experiences. The participants also took upon themselves to organize ‘regional working groups’ as a way to continue their collaboration beyond GAAMAC II.

Speakers from the Philippines Mission, Swiss Mission, Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide (OSAPG) and the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P) shared the outcomes of GAAMAC II and discussed the progress of GAAMAC as it seeks to strengthen national capacities for the long-term prevention of atrocity crimes.

The speakers included:

• H.E. Lourdes Yparraguirre, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations
• Mr. Serge Rumin on behalf of GAAMAC Chair, FDFA, Switzerland
• Ms. Gillian Kitley, Senior Officer, Office of the Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and on the Responsibility to Protect
• Mr. Simon Adams, Executive Director, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
• Minister Olivier Zehnder, Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations

The speakers recounted that the success of the GAAMAC II meeting was a testament to the importance that a growing number of States place on atrocity prevention.  Atrocity prevention should be embedded in national policy frameworks and must be implemented early, in all states, and at multiple levels.  They highlighted the acute need for state/civil society partnerships to work at the domestic level.

A new publication was also introduced on this occasion, entitled “Genocide Prevention, Responsibility to Protect, Prevention of Atrocities: A Brief Overview” on the legal foundations and linkages among these related fields.