History and Concept

The Latin American edition of the Lemkin Seminar arose out of discussions between the Auschwitz Institute and officials in the ministries of foreign affairs and justice from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Panama who took part in the Global Government edition of our Lemkin Seminar and recognized the need for a similar program focused on Latin America — more specifically, a program to build capacity for prevention of genocide and mass atrocities in the international arena while examining risk factors specific to the region.

Many Latin American countries are international models for peaceful regime change and dealing with the past. As a result of its history Latin America speaks with the voice of experience not only about how to address human rights abuses domestically, but also how to prevent mass atrocities from recurring in the future.

The first event to emerge from these talks was a conference held April 12–14, 2010, in Buenos Aires titled "Memory, Justice, Truth and Reparations as Tools for Genocide Prevention." The event was co-organized by the Auschwitz Institute and the Government of Argentina, with participants including Lemkin Seminar alumni from Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.

The next event was "Processes of Justice: The Argentine Experience," held October 7–8, 2010, in New York. Organized by the Auschwitz Institute with Argentina’s Ministry of Justice, Security, and Human Rights, this conference focused on the Argentinean experience with justice in the wake of gross violations of human rights and lessons for the prevention of genocide and politicide. (Read a report on the conference.)

More talks followed, and in 2011 the Auschwitz Institute agreed with the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay to launch a joint Latin American initiative in spring 2012.

Latin American Network

On March 29-30, 2012, 18 countries from Central and South America gathered in Buenos Aires to launch the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention. Organized by the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation with the Argentinean ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice and the Brazilian Secretariat of Human Rights, the meeting established the first coalition of government institutions throughout Latin America to provide a regional forum for genocide and mass atrocity prevention.

Read the press release.

In attendance were officials from ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Defense, and high human rights authorities. The participating countries were Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala, Ecuador, and El Salvador. Representatives from the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, and the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights were also present. The initiative also enjoys support from the UN Office of the Special Advisers to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect.

The purpose of the Network is to provide a regional forum for both national and regional initiatives to implement genocide prevention education into participating countries’ ministries, militaries, and civil society. The Network will also be used to promote genocide prevention within each member country’s policy, and potentially to serve as an early warning mechanism throughout the region.

The Auschwitz Institute has facilitated the development of a training curriculum, to be approved by the Network after national consultation and tested in a series of biannual training seminars over the course of the next three years. The goal is to have the curriculum implemented into all the participating ministries throughout Latin America.

The Network’s first steps have already been taken in the form of a website and online forum created and hosted by the Auschwitz Institute, and the naming of both national and ministerial focal points by all participating countries. The Network’s focal points will use the online forum to coordinate national and regional initiatives as well as share good practices.

Latin American Seminar

The Latin American edition of the Lemkin Seminar will deal with education on policies for prevention of genocide and mass atrocities while bearing in mind the specifics of Latin American countries and their promotion of these policies internationally. It will also address the current realities of the region and the strengths of the regional system of genocide prevention in addressing 1) systematic human rights abuses of the past; 2) the rights of indigenous peoples; and 3) the rights of political groups.

Organizers

Supporters

  • To be announced

Goals

  • To be announced.

Program

  • To be announced

Instructors

  • To be announced

Participants

  • To be announced