User:Prev-gen/All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and other Crimes Against Humanity (the Genocide Prevention Group) was founded in 2006. Inspired by the success of a similar Parliamentary Group in the United Kingdom, the Genocide Prevention Group has grown from the Save Darfur Coalition initiated in 2006. It is an informal group of Parliamentarians uniquely composed of all parties in the House of Commons and the Senate with an interest in the prevention of Genocide and similar crimes against humanity.

Why genocide prevention?
Preventing genocide in our time has become the ultimate test for the international community. Since the phrase “Never Again” was first uttered in response to the terrible events of the Holocaust, the world has unfortunately found itself repeating them again and again: in response to the events in Cambodia in the 1970s, Rwanda in 1994, and, a year later, the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia. This work is as critical today as ever, especially in the face of more mass killing and systematic rape in regions like Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are lessons to be learned from past failures, and the next challenge is to ensure that they are remembered, disseminated, and applied. In this way, the world can honour the memory of those we failed to protect.

Mandate
The mandate of the Genocide Prevention Group is to: 1.	ensure that the government of Canada galvanizes to prevent and protect civilian populations from Genocide, crimes against humanity, and the incitement to such crimes in accordance with the principles of “The Responsibility to Protect (R2P)” 2.	increase the flow of information and analysis to Parliamentarians about Genocide and other crimes against humanity; 3.	promote understanding of the importance of long-term approaches to Genocide prevention; and 4.	engage in communication and collaboration with like-minded bodies in civil society and other Parliaments in order to: a.	exchange information about strategies for the prevention of Genocide and other crimes against humanity; b.	work in conjunction with the United Nations Special Advisor for the Prevention of Genocide, the International Criminal Court, and other organizations working in the field of Genocide prevention and post conflict justice; and c.	create international channels for the timely exchange of information regarding emerging crises that have a potentially genocidal component.

Areas of Concern
The Genocide Prevention Group is currently monitoring the prevalence of sexual violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the mass atrocities in Darfur, Sudan, the prosecution of minority groups and political opposition in Sri Lanka and Iran, post-genocide justice in Rwanda and Cambodia, and genocide denial.

Membership
Membership in the Genocide Prevention Group is open to all Parliamentarians. The Executive is composed of a Chair, four Vice-Chairs, one from each of the parties represented at Parliament, and an ex-officio member. There are currently 40 official members of the Genocide Prevention Group, with some sixty parliamentarians who participate in events hosted by the Genocide Prevention Group.

Executive
The Group is currently chaired by Member of Parliament Paul Dewar and the vice-chairs are as follows: Patrick Brown, MP (Conservative); Johanne Deschamps, MP (Bloc Québecois); Megan Leslie, MP (NDP); and Borys Wrzesnewskyj, MP (Liberal). The former chair and ex-officio member is the Honourable Roméo Dallaire, Senator. Senator Dallaire also founded the Genocide Prevention Group in 2006.

Funding
Due to the unofficial nature of the Genocide Prevention Group, the group does not receive Parliamentary funding. It is self-funded through membership fees. Its administrator/researcher receives funding from Aegis Trust which is administered by the Montreal Institute of Genocide and Human Rights Studies.