Select Committee · International Development Committee

Promoting dialogue and preventing atrocities: the UK government approach

Status: Closed Opened: 26 Nov 2021 Closed: 8 Mar 2023 19 recommendations 11 conclusions 1 report

Report and Government response published The International Development Committee has now published a Report on From Srebrenica to a safer tomorrow: Preventing future mass atrocities around the world and concluded Russia’s likely mass atrocities in Ukraine underline the urgent need for the UK to adopt a national strategy for preventing and responding to such crimes. … Show more

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Third Report - From Srebrenica to a safer tomorrow: Prevent… HC 149 17 Oct 2022 30 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

6 items
2 Conclusion Third Report - From Srebrenica to a saf… Accepted

Despite the UN Security Council’s role in protecting populations and its considerable powers, it faces...

Despite the UN Security Council’s role in protecting populations and its considerable powers, it faces gridlock in practice. The threat of an UNSC permanent member exercising its veto constrains international action to prevent and end “conscience- shocking” mass atrocities, which raises fears of an ‘age of impunity’. The UK Government … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government values its partnerships on atrocity prevention, including with the United States. They are also engaging with the Global Network of R2P Focal Points and have provided funding to the Global Centre for R2P.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
7 Recommendation Third Report - From Srebrenica to a saf… Accepted

Armed conflict and mass atrocities are linked, but overfocusing on conflict is likely to miss...

Armed conflict and mass atrocities are linked, but overfocusing on conflict is likely to miss atrocity risks, to leave groups unprotected and to ignore how atrocities themselves can drive conflict. In addition to conflict prevention, the Government must explicitly recognise the separate but interlinked priority of atrocity prevention. Read more

Government response AI summary
From 2023, the government will expand the existing atrocity prevention section of the annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. The OCSM will complete this section drawing information from a range of other teams within FCDO and other relevant Government departments.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
10 Recommendation Third Report - From Srebrenica to a saf… Accepted

The Government should ensure that Ministers provide regular and strategic direction to the UK’s atrocity...

The Government should ensure that Ministers provide regular and strategic direction to the UK’s atrocity and conflict prevention policy by adding this to the agenda of the Foreign Policy and Security Council and giving the Secretariat responsibility for tracking implementation of the new atrocity prevention strategy (see para 46). Read more

Government response AI summary
The government describes the existing Mass Atrocity Prevention Hub, FCDO's International Academy's training, and efforts to strengthen understanding of atrocity prevention.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
14 Recommendation Third Report - From Srebrenica to a saf… Accepted

The OCSM must: a) ensure that UK posts and desks for priority countries can access...

The OCSM must: a) ensure that UK posts and desks for priority countries can access the training and resources that they need, including when factoring relevant thematic objectives into country plans; b) provide the expertise to enable greater awareness of atrocity risks; and c) strengthen co-ordination, the exchange of lessons … Read more

Government response AI summary
Staff at Post are already supported by various experts when developing their approach to atrocity prevention, including conflict advisors, governance advisers, and research analysts.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
18 Conclusion Third Report - From Srebrenica to a saf… Accepted

The FCDO should introduce a new Atrocity Prevention Toolkit to provide applied, day-to-day guidance to...

The FCDO should introduce a new Atrocity Prevention Toolkit to provide applied, day-to-day guidance to UK Posts and desks on existing support and how to raise the alarm in a crisis.

Government response AI summary
The government states that using network analysis to look at actors, contexts, and interrelations is central to their approach and such tools are routinely used to assess corporate structures and financial linkages between individuals and entities.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
22 Conclusion Third Report - From Srebrenica to a saf… Accepted

The OCSM must continue to develop the analytical capabilities to monitor and identify countries and...

The OCSM must continue to develop the analytical capabilities to monitor and identify countries and groups at risk of mass atrocities, working closely with UK Posts and desks. This work should inform the UK’s policy and programming objectives in countries at risk. Read more

Government response AI summary
The government discusses the importance of Fragile and Conflict Affected States (FCAS) for the IDS and describes how they use a range of tools to deliver development and foreign policy ambitions and delegates more authority to HoMs on bilateral ODA spend at post.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Oral evidence sessions

2 sessions
Date Witnesses
24 May 2022 Leigh Stubblefield · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Matthew Field, Pete Vowles, The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office View ↗
11 Jan 2022 Denisa Delić · International Rescue Committee, Natalie Samarasinghe · United Nations Association – UK, Saidi Zirhumana · Support Office for Peacebuilding in the DRC (Bureau de Soutien pour la Consolidation de la Paix), Savita Pawnday · Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect View ↗

Who gave evidence

8 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Denisa Delić · Advocacy Director International Rescue Committee 1
Leigh Stubblefield · Office for Conflict, Stabilisation and Mediation Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office 1
Matthew Field 1
Natalie Samarasinghe · Chief Executive Officer United Nations Association – UK 1
Pete Vowles 1
Saidi Zirhumana · Deputy Director Support Office for Peacebuilding in the DRC (Bureau de Soutien pour la Consolidation de la Paix) 1
Savita Pawnday · Executive Director Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect 1
The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon · Minister of State (Middle East, North Africa, Sou… Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office 1

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
26 Apr 2022 To cttee Letter from the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Af…