In this episode we sat down with the Global Centre's Geneva Representative, Elisabeth Pramendorfer. During the episode Elisabeth explains the importance of the Human Rights Council (HRC) and other Geneva-based mechanisms in atrocity prevention, and shares some examples of recent challenges and successes in atrocity prevention advocacy in Geneva. She also highlights how UN member states can ensure more effective early response to atrocities through the work of the HRC.

In this episode we spoke with Dr. Kate Ferguson, Co-Executive Director of Protection Approaches, and Dr. Jess Gifkins, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Manchester and the Queering Atrocity Prevention Research Fellow at Protection Approaches. During the episode, Dr. Ferguson and Dr. Gifkins explain how Protection Approaches aims to improve intersectional assessments of atrocity risks, including by incorporating the specific vulnerabilities faced by LGBTQI+ people and other groups within atrocity prevention research, policy and practice. They also highlight Protection Approaches’ seminal report, Queering Atrocity Prevention, and provide an overview of how the report has been received and implemented since its release in March 2022.

In this episode we spoke with Sareta Ashraph, an international criminal barrister currently consulting for the Center for Justice and Accountability and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide. During the conversation, Sareta reflects on her extensive experience investigating atrocity crimes, as well as her work with the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria and their determination in 2016 that the crime of genocide was being perpetrated in Iraq. She also discusses the gendered nature and impact of atrocity crimes across a variety of country situations, as well as the current gaps inhibiting justice for atrocities perpetrated against marginalized groups.

In this episode we spoke with Tomás Ojea Quintana, former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). During this episode, Tomás reflects on key moments from his tenure as Special Rapporteur, highlighting critical findings regarding potential crimes against humanity in the DPRK, as well as the challenges in investigating and influencing change in isolated countries. He also explains the relationship between human rights and international efforts aimed at encouraging denuclearization in the DPRK, pathways to accountability for crimes perpetrated against the population and how the UN system can enhance its atrocity prevention efforts.

In this episode we spoke with Meena Syed, Political Coordinator and Minister Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations in New York. Meena reflects on Norway's 2021-2022 term as an elected member of the UN Security Council (UNSC), including some of the challenges the Council continues to face in carrying out its mandate to maintain international peace and security. She shares how elected members of the UNSC can and should help in navigating these challenges, as well as how the Council and the international community more broadly could improve the prevention of and response to atrocity crimes.

In this episode we spoke with Ahmad Helmi, Co-Founder and Manager of the Ta'afi Initiative. Ahmad shares his story as a Syrian human rights defender and survivor and the impetus for founding the Ta'afi Initiative. During the episode, he explains the importance of survivor-led and survivor-centered justice, as well as the vision set out in the Truth and Justice Charter. Ahmad also discusses how the international community can better support Syrian survivors, including through the establishment of a dedicated institution to determine the fate of the missing and disappeared in Syria.

In our first episode of 2023 we sat down with our Executive Director, Savita Pawnday. During the episode Savita shares how her experience as a human rights advocate at the Global Centre has grown alongside the evolution of the Responsibility to Protect principle and reflects on the challenges the international community continues to face in preventing and responding to atrocities. She highlights how the unique mandate and work of the Global Centre aims to address these challenges, as well as bridge the gap between affected communities and policy-makers to develop rights-based and community-informed prevention strategies and responses.

In our final episode of 2022 we spoke with Tiffany Easthom, Executive Director of Nonviolent Peaceforce. During the episode, Tiffany discusses the unique model of Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) and shares how it can be used to address critical gaps in the protection and prevention architecture. While highlighting countries where UCP has been implemented, she shares her views on how it can be a useful tool in the prevention of mass atrocities.

In this episode we spoke with Beatriz Borges, Executive Director of Centro de Justicia y Paz (CEPAZ). During the episode, Beatriz shares her unique experience as a human rights defender from Venezuela and sheds light on the risks faced by civil society across the country. She also highlights the important avenues through which the international community and external stakeholders should address the multidimensional crisis in Venezuela.

The episode begins with an overview of the Global Centre's assessment of the situation with our Venezuela Expert, Elisabeth Pramendorfer.

In this episode we spoke with Patricia Sellers, an international criminal lawyer currently serving as the Special Advisor for Slavery Crimes for the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, where she previously served as the Special Advisor for Gender. During the episode, Patricia explains the unique ways in which gender makes one vulnerable to atrocities, as well as how the landmark judgements at the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia have helped facilitate the future prosecution of acts of sexual violence as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. She also highlights some key lessons learned regarding early warning signs of gendered crimes.