The Episcopal Public Policy Network is encouraging and enabling people to express their support for the Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act now before the Senate. They link to a blog from The Hill about the Act:
When a United Nations (UN) official stated that the UN was in no better position to prevent widespread crimes against humanity, even genocide, in Burundi than they were during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, it took many people by surprise. In reality, nothing about that statement should be surprising. The international community and the United States are presently ill equipped to prevent episodes of mass atrocities because prevention is not prioritized in foreign policy. …
The Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act (GAPA), which was introduced in the Senate on February 11, 2016, is a step in the right direction. If passed, GAPA will do three main things: 1. Authorize the Atrocities Prevention Board (APB), a high-level interagency body that brings together principals from across the U.S. government to share intelligence and discuss ways to prevent genocide and mass atrocities. While the APB by itself will not solve all atrocity situations, it positions the US government in a better place to think upstream and devise strategies to prevent the outbreak of violent conflict. 2. Provides training for Foreign Service Officers so they can better address the early warning signs of mass atrocities. 3. Authorizes the Complex Crises Fund which provides flexible funding for the US to better prevent and respond to emerging crises around the world.
The EPPN, for its part, says that
The Episcopal Church strongly believes that countries have moral responsibility to protect their citizens from mass atrocities, including ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and genocide. To that end, the Senate has recently introduced the Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, a legislation that will ensure our government has the tools and resources needed to promote peace and protect civilians. Ask your senator to support this bill today.
They include a link to send the message directly to a Senator.
Find more from the Episcopal Public Policy Network – including more calls to action – here.