Description
Lack of early warning of the Rwandan genocide was instrumental in the failure of the international community to respond to this crisis. Since then the norm of civilian protection has gained strength and the UN has enhanced its capacity for early warning by increasing staffing as well as developing a framework of analysis specifically for atrocity crimes. However, to date, there has been no systematic study of the evolution and practice of mass atrocity early warning within the United Nations Secretariat, and the impact this has had on UN-led responses to impending and unfolding cases of mass atrocity crimes. Funded by the British Academy, we analyse the evolution of early warning within the UN Secretariat and how the Secretariat responded (or failed to respond) to escalating violence in Rwanda, Darfur, and Cote d’Ivoire to assess the Secretariat’s capacity to respond to future global challenges. The research demonstrates incremental shifts in capacity within the UN Secretariat since the end of the Cold War and highlights remaining limitations.
