Written Evidence by IPS Published: Improving HMG’s Posture and Approach to Atrocity Prevention

IPS members recently responded to the International Development Committee’s Parliamentary inquiry into the effectiveness of the UK government’s approach to atrocity prevention within and outside of conflicts, using Bosnia and Herzegovina as a case study. ELAC Deputy Director Federica D’Alessandra and IPS Research Assistant Gwendolyn Whidden submitted written evidence recommending FCDO to develop a national, cross-government mass atrocity prevention strategy alongside its conflict prevention strategy. In addition, they also made recommendations on how parts of White Hall governmental infrastructure may be re-oriented to ensure a more effective implementation of atrocity prevention policy; on how Parliament can pass legislation to institutionalise dialogue around atrocity prevention issues; and on how stronger inter-departmental consultations would benefit overall preventive policy and objectives. They also argued that more research is needed on the intersection between atrocity prevention and contiguous workstreams, but mainstreaming atrocity prevention objectives into other thematic areas will help maximise operational synergies. Their submission was published online here.