We invite you to read the essay "What is at stake in handling the case of the Uyghurs?" prepared by the Director of the Centre, Dr. Gyorgy Tatar.

The Budapest Centre for Mass Atrocities Prevention thereby urges the International Community to take all appropriate measures discussed in the document to tackle the Uyghur Genocide and prevent further escalation.

Click here to download the essay.

Three months since Myanmar’s military coup, the deadly crackdown continues



Despite peace talks, attacks on civilians increase in Afghanistan



370,000 children displaced by ongoing conflict in the Central African Republic



In order to read the complete atrocity alert by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, please click here

With the launch of the E-Youth Library for Mass Atrocities Prevention, the Budapest Centre wishes to offer a collection of news relevant to the subject of Responsibility to Protect.

It includes a wide variety of official documents, research and articles written by various academics, as well as reports prepared by partner organizations on situations at risk.

The library also intends to provide an insight into the activities of organizations working in the field of mass atrocities prevention.

We also share the Joint Statement of Alice Wairimu Nderitu, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, and Michelle Bachelet, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the situation in Myanmar.

Regrettably, the UN Security Council has not learned the lessons of the genocide committed against the Rohingya people in 2016: its statement released yesterday fails to decide on taking prompt and effective steps for preventing the escalation of the crisis and protecting the population of Myanmar from mass atrocity crimes.

HWPL Statement on Human Rights Crisis in Myanmar

Joint Statement by Alice Wairimu Nderitu, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, and Michelle Bachelet, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the situation in Myanmar

 

Throughout the twentieth century, genocide became a frequent occurrence with millions massacred. This has continued into the twentieth-first century, where perpetrators engage in the intentional mass killing of particular groups in society. Such events are not sudden occurrences but take place under particular circumstances developed over time.

To help recognize the evolution of genocidal processes and prevent future tragedies, American scholar Gregory H. Stanton developed the theory of “ten stages of genocide,” which describe the different stages leading up to a genocide. The stages are as follows: (1) classification; (2) symbolization; (3) discrimination; (4) dehumanization; (5) organization; (6) polarization; (7) preparation; (8) persecution; (9) extermination; and (10) denial. This process is not necessarily linear, and stages may occur in parallel to each other.

The authors of the article attempt to demonstrate the role that artificial intelligence (AI) can play throughout that process in terms of how it can exacerbate the situation or prevent its escalation. In particular, AI in relation to (1) the media and (2) surveillance is discussed given that both appear to be the most common features within the ten stages. While there are of course other AI tools that may be employed throughout the genocidal process, they will not be the focus of the paper. The paper merely attempts to introduce its readers to and raise awareness of the ten stages of genocide, providing a detailed overview of said stages, in addition to how AI vis-à-vis the media and surveillance may play a role in the process.

The article is the third piece in the series of reflections, prepared by the group of interns of the Budapest Centre, which aims to illustrate the role of AI in fighting mass atrocities. The authors hope that the document will also contribute to the research planned by the Budapest Centre within the Initiative “Multipolar Task Force.”

Read more by following the link

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming commonplace in every aspect of society at an accelerating rate, employed in civilian industries such as healthcare and education but also for military means. While there are several benefits to such a trend, the rise of AI does not come without challenges.

A paper was published by the Budapest Centre recently on the security risks related to the rise of AI in the context of mass atrocities. This second paper of the series aims to provide an overview of the policies and recommendations made by international and regional organizations in this realm. Building upon this, the paper concludes that the majority of the eight well-known organizations addressed in the paper do not tackle the challenges from a security perspective.

The Budapest Center for Mass Atrocities Prevention, therefore, pushes these organizations to look closer at concrete actions in the field of AI and mass atrocities they could take by articulating policies and recommendations that governments should take on this topic. The paper predominantly targets young people to introduce them to the topic of mass atrocities in relation to AI; however, academics are welcome to utilize this work for their purposes. The authors hope that the document will also contribute to the research planned by the Budapest Centre within the Initiative “Multipolar Task Force.”

Read more by following the link

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming commonplace in every aspect of society at an accelerating rate. However, the rise of AI does not come without challenges. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to raise awareness of some risks AI represents in the context of mass atrocities. The list is non-exhaustive. It includes the exploitation of sensitive data, the question of ethics, cybercrime and warfare, programmes and models run by AI. The paper is written by the team of interns in the Budapest Centre and it mainly targets young people to introduce them to the topic of mass atrocities in relation to AI; however, we also welcome academics to utilize this work for their purposes.

The authors hope that the document will also contribute to the research planned by the Budapest Centre within the Initiative “Multipolar Task Force.”

Read more by following the link

In light of increasing levels of intolerance, discrimination and group hatred in Europe, the CEE Prevent Net project aims at safeguarding young people by strengthening their resilience toward these phenomena and their skills to contribute to a peaceful and democratic society. Building on the previous project European Fair Skills, CEE Prevent Net focuses on Central and Eastern Europe and Eastern Germany, since this region shares common socio-historic experiences, structural conditions and current challenges.

The project’s main objectives comprise fostering the capacity of practitioners from social/youth work and non-formal education to deal with intolerance, group hatred and violence among young people; creating a platform for multi-agency cooperation in the project countries and across the CEE region; mustering support from stakeholders and policy-makers beyond political partisanship and societal cleavages; and raising awareness for CEE issues and approaches in European and international prevention networks, where this region is still under-represented.