Convinced that no country is immune – and reminded by the grim history of its own continent – Switzerland has included atrocity prevention in its foreign policy priorities and promotes it globally through a range of foreign policy instruments. Guided by a cross-sectoral strategy, Switzerland integrates prevention in peace policy programming, human rights diplomacy, development cooperation and efforts to strengthen international law at the bilateral, regional and multilateral level.

GAAMAC is a unique element in this engagement, as it provides an international and plurilateral platform designed to strengthen atrocity prevention architectures and mechanisms at the national level by bringing together a diverse range of actors in an inclusive and participative setting.

Creating new forms of collaboration

Switzerland, with other founding members, launched GAAMAC because it was convinced that a trusted space was needed for government officials, civil society representatives, activists and researchers to discuss frankly and openly how to strengthen prevention at the national level. No such space existed, so GAAMAC created something new and unique, which has been growing and expanding since.

Switzerland chaired GAAMAC until 2020, when it handed over to Argentina. The four Global Meetings are major milestones on this journey, but also the establishment of the Support Office in Geneva, the work of the Regional Working Groups and the growing network of partners, and a series of events are key elements of how GAAMAC grew over the past years.