Good news! In early May 2016, the Senate agreed to keep the Atrocities Prevention Board working through 2017. The board is the linchpin of U.S. efforts to help stop violence before it erupts.
It’s exciting that the Senate recognizes how important it is to keep going into next year — but Congress still needs to vote to make it permanent.
We got to this point because of your advocacy – your emails to Congress, petition signatures, and phone calls. Thank you.
But our work isn’t done. We need to make sure that the U.S. continues to have the tools, training, and flexibility to help build peace and prevent violence.
This is an important time for your senators to hear your support for the Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act (S.2551) — even if you’ve written them before. This bill would not only make the Atrocities Prevention Board permanent but provide other tools to help the U.S. pay attention and respond to early warning signs of genocide and mass atrocities.
This legislation has passionate advocates in the Senate who are pushing for its passage. Last week, Sens. Thom Tillis (NC) and Ben Cardin (MD) spoke on the Senate floor urging support for efforts that, as Sen. Tillis stated, have “the potential to fuse diplomacy, intelligence and foreign aid” to prevent violent conflict.
Democrats and Republicans alike agree that the Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act is an important step forward for the U.S. Thousands of people like you are advocating for this legislation, encouraging their senators to make it a priority this year. The Senate’s vote last week is an encouraging sign that we’re getting through – but we need to keep going.
