The Budapest Centre for Mass Atrocities Prevention (BCMAP) and the Environment & Development Resource Centre (EDRC) aim to set up of a Multipolar Task Force (MTF) to help harmonize the diverging approaches of the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council (P5) on the threats of climate security and digital transformation through the lens of mass atrocities prevention. The initiative aims to strengthen the political will in particular among practitioners and scholars of the UN Security Council Permanent Members and facilitate understanding and cooperation with emerging powers and regional organizations. Moreover, since these challenges also largely concern young generations, a major goal of the initiative is to raise awareness and drive mobilization of young people in this realm. You can find the initiative here. The two organizations convened virtual meetings for scholars, practitioners and representatives of governments in July, September and October 2020 to discuss the risks of climate security and digital revolution and the draft concept of the initiative. You can find the reports of the meetings here, here and here. On the 25th of November 2020, the ‘Friends of the Initiative’ exchanged views on the next steps and potential donors. The two organizations will contact the identified partners in early January 2021 to ensure resources for the implementation.
In conjunction with the initiative, the Budapest Centre has launched a series of papers to raise awareness of the risks of artificial intelligence in the realm of human rights and mass atrocities. They specifically target young people to introduce them to these topics; however, all interested individuals are encouraged to utilize and read the papers. Find more information on the series here, and find the first article on the risks of AI here.
Please note, the Budapest Centre for Mass Atrocities Prevention is currently looking for funders for the carrying out of the described project.
