16th Meeting 58th Session of Human Rights Council UN Web TV 1
– Panel on early warning and genocide prevention
Ms. Savita Pawnday, Executive Director of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
发言内容：
Thank you, Mr. President. Thanks to the work of civil society organizations like mine, we have a more sophisticated understanding of the dynamics of how atrocity crimes are committed in contexts as different as Afghanistan, the Sahel, Venezuela or the West Bank and the factors that can mitigate their commission.
In the case of the crime of genocide, our understanding has evolved beyond the frameworks used to study the Holocaust to better understand how 21st century genocides against the Rohingyas, the Yazidis, the Uyghurs or against the Palestinians in Gaza have been orchestrated and committed.
In many of these cases, while perpetrators often pursue policies of mass killings and ethnic cleansing, genocides have also been perpetrated through the erasure of a group’s identity and their cultural destruction. Recognizing these evolving methods is essential for effective prevention and response. We also have a much better understanding of the diversity of tools available at the multilateral, regional, and national level to respond to emerging or protracted crises.
The international community has increasingly leveraged accountability mechanisms, including sophisticated ways to monitor and preserve evidence. Peacekeepers have often stood as shields between perpetrators and victims, and we have developed more effective strategies to protect women and children. Yet, all too often, responses to atrocity risks remain selective and shaped by political interests.
Broad cross-regional solidarity with Ukraine demonstrated that when there is sufficient will, governments are able to mobilize rapid response and uphold R2P. However, this stands in sharp contrast to the failure of many to prevent, acknowledge and condemn the genocide in Gaza and apartheid policies in place against Palestinians. Meanwhile, many cross-regional governments, while rightly criticizing Western bias, remain silent on mounting evidence of atrocity crimes against the Rohingya, the Uyghurs or the non-Arab communities of Darfur.
Selective application of international law erodes the credibility of the multilateral system created to preserve it — consistent application of double standards dilutes protection regimes and makes everyone unsafe. The divide between Geneva and New York also remains a barrier to cohesive action.
As mentioned often today, early warning information produced by Geneva-based mechanisms are not consistently funneled into decision-making processes in New York, including in discussions at the UN Security Council. Bridging this gap is essential to ensuring more holistic and effective response to atrocity risks.
Allow me to also share a few words of the critical role of civil society organizations, human rights defenders and affected communities. These actors are often the first to detect and respond to early warning signs, document atrocities, and defuse tensions, even amid escalating violence. When violence erupts, they lead unarmed protection strategies that save lives and, in the aftermath, drive advocacy for justice, accountability, and reconciliation.
Despite their expertise and frontline experience, human rights defenders and affected communities are often excluded from formal decision-making processes. In addition to practical barriers that prevent CSOs from engaging directly with decision-makers, affected communities are frequently directed between various UN offices without receiving clear guidance or adequate support regarding the functioning of the system, how they can effectively engage with it, and what outcomes they can reasonably expect. One example is the pending follow-up on the CERD Referral to the OSAPG on the situation in the Uyghur Region.
消息来源：UN WEB TV， 16th Meeting – 58th Session of Human Rights Council，https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1g/k1gfcuqbix.
