Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P)

05/29/2026

Check out our May issue of in Focus featuring:

🎤 Convening Civil Society and UN Leaders to Advance Protection Responses

📺 Event: Emerging Approaches to the Protection of Civilians in the Age of AI

🤝 Engagement with Key Partners and Stakeholders in Europe

🇸🇩 Strengthening International Response to Ongoing Atrocities in Sudan

💭 New Commentary: The UN’s Next Secretary-General Must Choose Courage Over Irrelevance

🎙️ Podcast: Expert Voices on Atrocity Prevention

🗣️ The Dubrovnik Atrocity Prevention School

🌍 New Regional Digests

https://gcr2p.cmail19.com/t/j-e-ydhkdhdt-eiuitllhu-jj/

05/29/2026

📺 🆕 Yesterday we joined Access Now in hosting an online roundtable discussion on the UN Secretary-General’s Protection of Civilians Report (PoC Report). Joined by UNESCO's Leona Isabelle Verdadero; the Ambassador for Cybersecurity and Digitalisation of Luxembourg, Luc Dockendorf; Access Now's Giulio Coppi; and Digital Security Lab Ukraine's Tetiana Avdieieva, the event unpacked the PoC Report through a multistakeholder perspective.

The discussion, guided by our Deputy Executive Director Jaclyn Streitfeld-Hall, explored emerging approaches to atrocity prevention and response, as well as broader issues surrounding the protection of civilian data and digital infrastructure in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Rather than centering AI itself, the event examined the implications for civilian protection in societies increasingly dependent on digital systems that are neither designed by nor for populations at risk and that often fall outside existing international legal frameworks applicable in conflict.

Check out the recording ⬇️

 On 28 May the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect and Access Now hosted an online roundtable discussion on the UN Secretary-General’s Protection of Civilians Report (PoC Report). Joined by experts from UNESCO, the Ambassador for Cybersecurity and Digitalisation of Luxembourg and Di...

05/29/2026

🎙️ In our 🆕 episode of Expert Voices on Atrocity Prevention podcast, we sat down with Natalie Samarasinghe, Executive Director of the Public Engagement Platform for Climate Action and co-founder of the 1 for 8 Billion campaign.

During the episode, Natalie discusses her career in human rights and the UN system, and how those experiences shaped her advocacy for greater transparency and public engagement in the UN Secretary-General selection process. She discusses the qualities needed in a Secretary-General who can navigate geopolitical constraints, address systemic issues and effectively leverage the UN’s role. Natalie also explores the importance of visionary leadership that can balance peace and security with development and humanitarian efforts, while proposing reforms to strengthen the UN’s efficiency and legitimacy.

🎧 here:

Expert Voices on Atrocity Prevention is a podcast by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. The podcast, hosted by Global Centre Deputy Executive Director Jaclyn Streitfeld-Hall, features one-on-one conversations with practitioners from the field of human rights, conflict prevention, a...

05/27/2026

In this week's issue of Atrocity Alert:

🔺 Expanding use of drones broadens scope of violence in Sudan
🔺 Accounts of Israel’s torture of Palestinian detainees mount
🔺 Protection of Civilians in armed conflict

Full issue: https://bit.ly/3S41L2K

05/26/2026

📢 Join us and Access Now this Thursday at 10:30 AM EDT/ 4:30 PM CEST for this onlinr roundtable discussion on the UN Secretary-General’s Protection of Civilians Report (PoC Report). We will be joined by experts from UNESCO, the Ambassador for Cybersecurity and Digitalisation of Luxembourg and Digital Security Lab Ukraine to unpack the PoC Report through a multistakeholder perspective.

The discussion will explore emerging approaches to atrocity prevention and response, as well as broader issues surrounding the protection of civilian data and digital infrastructure in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Rather than centering AI itself, the event will examine the implications for civilian protection in societies increasingly dependent on digital systems that are neither designed by nor for populations at risk and that often fall outside existing international legal frameworks applicable in conflict.

RSVP 🔗 ⬇️ !

28 MAY 2026 | 10:30 AM EDT | 4:30 PM CEST | REGISTER FOR ZOOM The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect and Access Now will host an online roundtable discussion on the UN Secretary-General’s Protection of Civilians Report (PoC Report). We will be joined by experts from UNESCO, the Ambass...

05/20/2026

In this week's issue of Atrocity Alert:

🔺 Escalating civilian casualties from airstrikes in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin
🔺 Intense clashes between rival gangs continue to endanger civilians in Haiti
🔺 Iranians face deepening state repression amid fragile US-Iran ceasefire

Full issue: https://bit.ly/4uULDyJ

05/19/2026

Ahead of the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, we've joined 18 other civil society organizations in calling for urgent action to confront the accelerating erosion of civilian protection in conflicts worldwide.

At a time when attacks on civilians, humanitarian workers, hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure continue with near-total impunity, the international community cannot allow protection of civilians to become another casualty of political paralysis, funding cuts and institutional retrenchment.

Full statement ⬇️

As Member States prepare for the May 2026 UN Security Council Open Debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, civilians continue to bear the brunt of hostilities. Parties to conflict kill, injure, and displace civilians, deny humanitarian access, target humanitarian workers and violate...

05/13/2026

🇸🇾 As trials begin in Damascus, civil society organizations and victims groups are calling for accountability processes that are credible, fair, grounded in international law and applied regardless of perpetrators.

In this new report 27 Syrian civil society and victims groups set out key elements for holistic accountability in the country.

Read more ⬇️

05/13/2026

In this week's issue of Atrocity Alert:

🔺Series of attacks across eastern DR Congo kill dozens of civilians
🔺Civilians face increasing risks amid escalating violence and repression in Mali
🔺UN reports at least 70 civilians killed in 6 days alone in Ukraine

Full issue: https://www.globalr2p.org/publications/atrocity-alert-no-482/

05/12/2026

🇪🇷 We've joined 30 other civil society organizations in drawing attention to ongoing grave human rights violations in , entrenched impunity and transnational repression targeting the Eritrean diaspora.

🔟 years after the COI on Eritrea released its final report must extend the mandate of the Special Rapportuer.

Excellencies, Ahead of the UN Human Rights Council’s 62nd session (15 June-10 July 2026), we, the undersigned non-governmental organisations, write to urge your delegation to support the development and adoption of a strong resolution that extends the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situa...