Statement by NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson on the Release of the U.S. Strategy to Anticipate, Prevent, and Respond to Atrocities

The public release of the first-ever U.S. Strategy to Anticipate, Prevent, and Respond to Atrocities, along with the 2022 Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 5 of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018, reaffirms the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to atrocity prevention as a core national security commitment and core moral responsibility of the United States. The mass violence against men, women, and children in Ukraine serves as a solemn reminder of the unspeakable human toll of these vicious acts and the traumatic consequences for communities for future generations.

While the Report takes stock of our efforts as a whole-of-government over the last year to respond to the world's gravest crimes, the Strategy lays out a future vision of a comprehensive approach to atrocity prevention, coordinated through the White House-led Atrocity Prevention Task Force. The Strategy consolidates and further institutionalizes a U.S. governmental process to detect and respond to early warning signs of atrocities and broadens U.S. involvement to engage with our international partners and civil society, including through multilateral fora. It complements and builds upon the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability and the U.S Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security. Through these guiding documents, we acknowledge the importance of these various efforts working together to reinforce stability and build sustainable peace. We also note the disproportionate impact of violence targeted at women and girls, including through the use of conflict-related sexual violence. And as we support efforts to hold perpetrators accountable, the Strategy enumerates several tools that the United States can bring to bear to recognize the loss and suffering of victims and survivors and to promote peace, reconciliation, and democracy, including by working with allies and partners.

Above all, the Report and Strategy highlight the imperative for our collective ability and will to foresee and prevent atrocities and other crimes. We call upon our partners to further prioritize atrocity prevention, dedicate resources and personnel for these efforts, and continue pursuing the goal of "Never Again."