Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Paragraph: 23
Despite the UN Security Council’s role in protecting populations and its considerable powers, it faces...
Conclusion
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 must therefore pursue other means and use other channels to prevent atrocities, while simultaneously advocating multilateral diplomacy and institutional reform.
Government Response 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.
Paragraph Reference:
23
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
12. The Government highly values its positive bilateral and multilateral partnerships on atrocity prevention, including with the United States, with whom we have a strong and productive relationship. The UK engages with the Global Network of R2P Focal Points, coordinated by the Global Centre for R2P, a New York-based NGO, and with the Group of Friends for R2P in New York and Geneva by, for example, feeding into joint statements for the Group of Friends at UN Security Council debates and the Human Rights Council. We have provided the Global Centre for R2P with £75,000 of funding in 2022/23 to finance the work of research analysts in monitoring populations at risk of mass atrocities and producing atrocity alerts and other analyses which are circulated to subscribers in governments and elsewhere. 13. Working closely with the US and other likeminded countries, we share risk and early warning analysis, explore options to mitigate ongoing, emerging, and future atrocities, and build our own and others’ capacity. We will continue to strengthen these relationships and expand partnerships with others, including independent experts, to support our capabilities to assess atrocity risks.