Implementing "The Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence that Could Lead to Atrocity Crimes"

Implementing "The Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence that Could Lead to Atrocity Crimes"

The UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN, the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Development and the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect have the honor of cordially inviting you to a high-level side-event on Implementing the Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence that Could Lead to Atrocity Crimes (the “Plan of Action”).

While States have the primary responsibility to protect their populations from atrocity crimes, other actors can contribute to preventing these crimes and their incitement, including religious leaders, faith-based organisations, and community-based religious actors. Launched at the UN Headquarters on 14 July 2017, the Plan of Action consists of a series of actions that religious actors can take to curb incitement to violence. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for wide dissemination and implementation of the Plan of Action as “it can help to save lives, reduce suffering, and realize our shared vision of peaceful, inclusive and just societies in which diversity is valued and the rights of all individuals are protected."

This side-event aims to emphasize the role of religious actors in preventing incitement to violence that could lead to atrocity crimes, and secure broad ownership and engagement from different stakeholders for the implementation of the Plan of Action – at national, regional and international levels. Participants will be encouraged to comment on existing or future initiatives that can serve to implement the Plan of Action. These efforts can include but are not limited to action by religious leaders and are expected to involve a range of stakeholders, including state institutions, civil society, media, as well as regional and international organizations.

Please note that UN staff and those without UN passes will require special event tickets, which will be distributed before the event (details will be sent at a later date). In order to obtain a ticket, you must RSVP by Wednesday, 20 September. UN Member States with valid UN passes will not require special tickets but are required to register for the event.

For questions contact:
Nadira Khudayberdieva, Global Centre for R2P, nkhudayberdieva@globalr2p.org, 212-817-1922