Objectives
With its “Prevention Policy Planning Programme”, the Budapest Centre wishes to generate international actions and contribute to narrowing the gap between early warning and elaboration and implementation of specific mass atrocity response strategies. While Heads of States and Governments have agreed on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) people from mass atrocities, the adequate methodologies, capabilities and mechanisms for timely detection of risks and the development of a ‘continuum of steps’to respond need to be built up within national governments, global and regional organizations. International capacities for the protection of civilians, human rights and prevention of violent conflicts have been increased modestly for the last years. Nevertheless mass atrocity prevention has been considered as a by-product of such efforts,despite the fundamental differences between these approaches.The Distinction between Conflict Prevention and Mass Atrocity Prevention
Bearing all that in mind, the Budapest Centre, seeks to provide support and complement the activities of governments, international and regional organizations and the civil society through implementing this Programme.The programme greatly relies on the activities undertaken within the framework of the Program for Research and Cooperation.
Priorities
The Program for Prevention Policy Planning intends to focus on:- Systematic and regular monitoring countries at risk of mass atrocities, particularly in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, the Balkans, Central Asia and the Middle East;
- Preparation of risk assessments based mainly on open source intelligence;
- Elaboration of recommendations and response strategies for different stakeholders, based on informal consultations with stakeholders, best-practices and lessons-learnt;
- Advise and guidance for stakeholders on the development of mass atrocity prevention and response capabilities.
Since 2012, the Programme of Preventive Policy Planning has also paid specific attention to developing the methodological framework for the future monitoring, early-warning and early-response work of the Budapest Centre. Recently, the establishment of a Risk Assessment Team has been set in motion.
