Aegis Trust
Encyclopedia
Aegis Trust, founded in 2000, is the leading British NGO which campaigns to prevent genocide
worldwide. Based at the United Kingdom
’s Holocaust Centre, which opened in 1995, the Aegis Trust coordinates the UK Genocide Prevention All-Party Parliamentary Group http://www.genocideprevention.org.uk/, funds the Genocide Prevention Group (Canada)
and is responsible for the Kigali Memorial Centre
in Rwanda
, which commemorates the 1994 genocide and is central to education of a new generation about the dangers of ethnic division.
The word Aegis means 'Shield' or 'Protection' in Greek, reflecting the need to protect vulnerable people against genocide. Since late 2004, Aegis has been among the organisations at the forefront of research, campaigning and policy development in the United Kingdom's response to the Darfur crisis.
Within a few years of opening, the Holocaust Centre was internationally recognised as a place of remembrance and education, with hundreds of schoolchildren daily visiting the permanent exhibition and memorial gardens, meeting survivors of the Holocaust and hearing their personal stories. Today it also provides training about racism for professionals including police and prison officers and aims to inspire reflection on the common responsibility to prevent mass atrocities.
), they realised that just as in the Holocaust, Rwanda and Bosnia, the victims and perpetrators in Kosovo were expecting the crisis, yet it caught the rest of the world off guard. As in every genocidal crisis, there was a series of steps which led to the conditions in which ethnic cleansing was possible.
A doctor, James Smith figured genocide as a public health problem, asking the question; if 200 million people had died of a particular disease in the past century, how much would we invest in prevention? If the process or the pattern which leads to something is identifiable, it has to be preventable. So Aegis – the genocide prevention organisation – was established.
In 2002, Aegis hosted a joint conference with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
. More strongly than ever before, concepts about genocide prevention were taken from the world of academia into the world of policy-making. Politicians, aid workers, generals, scholars, religious leaders and field specialists started a ball rolling that would see genocide prevention grow into being a field in its own right. Five years on, that field is populated by a growing number of organisations and activists.
1) Education; if you can reach the decision-makers of tomorrow, you may change the response to such events in the future;
2) Protection of people at risk, working with policy & decision makers on areas where genocide is happening or likely;
3) Survivor support – survivors and their experiences lie at heart of what Aegis does.
, resourcefulness and bravery in preserving the value of human
life
.'
The award is intended to honour individuals who, by actions in contrast to the majority, demonstrate a respect for human life that transcends ideology
, politics
, expediency, personal or career interests and even personal safety, under circumstances in which people's lives are threatened because of their identity as part of a group subject to mass violence.
The Award recognises preservation of the value of human life, rather than preservation of life itself. It is about the values and courage behind a set of actions, rather than about the objective success or failure of those actions in achieving the intended outcome.
The prize is awarded on the basis of personal merit, even if the recipient was in the employment of an organisation at the time of the actions being recognised.
The Award consists of a diploma, the 'Aegis' medallion and a sum of money.
The Award is international and may be given to anyone anywhere.
Canadian Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire
was the recipient of the inaugural Aegis Award, for his efforts as UN Force Commander in Rwanda
to prevent or curtail the Rwandan genocide
of 1994, despite being ordered by his superiors on three occasions to withdraw. The Award was presented to the General by Rt. Hon. Peter Hain
MP, then Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (UK)
, at Westminster Central Hall
in London - symbolic as the venue for the very first General Assembly of the United Nations
in 1946.
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
worldwide. Based at the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
’s Holocaust Centre, which opened in 1995, the Aegis Trust coordinates the UK Genocide Prevention All-Party Parliamentary Group http://www.genocideprevention.org.uk/, funds the Genocide Prevention Group (Canada)
Genocide Prevention Group (Canada)
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and other Crimes Against Humanity is an informal group of Parliamentarians composed of members from all parties in the Canadian House of Commons and the Canadian Senate with an interest in the prevention of genocide and similar...
and is responsible for the Kigali Memorial Centre
Kigali Memorial Centre
The Kigali Memorial Centre was opened on the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, in April 2004. The Centre is built on a site where over 250,000 people are buried. These graves are a clear reminder of the cost of ignorance...
in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, which commemorates the 1994 genocide and is central to education of a new generation about the dangers of ethnic division.
The word Aegis means 'Shield' or 'Protection' in Greek, reflecting the need to protect vulnerable people against genocide. Since late 2004, Aegis has been among the organisations at the forefront of research, campaigning and policy development in the United Kingdom's response to the Darfur crisis.
Origins: The Holocaust Centre
The Aegis Trust was founded by brothers James and Stephen Smith, as a progression from their establishment of Beth Shalom, the UK Holocaust Memorial Centre. They had no personal connection with the Holocaust, but simply felt that whatever your ethnicity or religion, the fact people could commit mass murder should challenge you – ideally in formative years, within the education system.Within a few years of opening, the Holocaust Centre was internationally recognised as a place of remembrance and education, with hundreds of schoolchildren daily visiting the permanent exhibition and memorial gardens, meeting survivors of the Holocaust and hearing their personal stories. Today it also provides training about racism for professionals including police and prison officers and aims to inspire reflection on the common responsibility to prevent mass atrocities.
Catalyst: the Kosovo crisis
The outbreak of the Kosovo crisis in 1999 provided the catalyst for the development of Aegis. Troubled by the repetition of genocidal violence, the Smiths responded by initiating a regional aid appeal in the East Midlands. Going to the camps, however (where James Smith became an Area Coordinator for the International Medical CorpsInternational Medical Corps
International Medical Corps is a global humanitarian nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs...
), they realised that just as in the Holocaust, Rwanda and Bosnia, the victims and perpetrators in Kosovo were expecting the crisis, yet it caught the rest of the world off guard. As in every genocidal crisis, there was a series of steps which led to the conditions in which ethnic cleansing was possible.
A doctor, James Smith figured genocide as a public health problem, asking the question; if 200 million people had died of a particular disease in the past century, how much would we invest in prevention? If the process or the pattern which leads to something is identifiable, it has to be preventable. So Aegis – the genocide prevention organisation – was established.
In 2002, Aegis hosted a joint conference with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
. More strongly than ever before, concepts about genocide prevention were taken from the world of academia into the world of policy-making. Politicians, aid workers, generals, scholars, religious leaders and field specialists started a ball rolling that would see genocide prevention grow into being a field in its own right. Five years on, that field is populated by a growing number of organisations and activists.
The Aegis model
Aegis’ work follows three strands:1) Education; if you can reach the decision-makers of tomorrow, you may change the response to such events in the future;
2) Protection of people at risk, working with policy & decision makers on areas where genocide is happening or likely;
3) Survivor support – survivors and their experiences lie at heart of what Aegis does.
Aegis Trust Award
Created in 2002 by the Aegis Trust, the Aegis Trust Award is made 'for altruismAltruism
Altruism is a concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures, and a core aspect of various religious traditions, though the concept of 'others' toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. Altruism is the opposite of...
, resourcefulness and bravery in preserving the value of human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
life
Life
Life is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
.'
The award is intended to honour individuals who, by actions in contrast to the majority, demonstrate a respect for human life that transcends ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
, politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, expediency, personal or career interests and even personal safety, under circumstances in which people's lives are threatened because of their identity as part of a group subject to mass violence.
The Award recognises preservation of the value of human life, rather than preservation of life itself. It is about the values and courage behind a set of actions, rather than about the objective success or failure of those actions in achieving the intended outcome.
The prize is awarded on the basis of personal merit, even if the recipient was in the employment of an organisation at the time of the actions being recognised.
The Award consists of a diploma, the 'Aegis' medallion and a sum of money.
The Award is international and may be given to anyone anywhere.
Canadian Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire
Roméo Dallaire
Lieutenant-General Roméo Antonius Dallaire, is a Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general...
was the recipient of the inaugural Aegis Award, for his efforts as UN Force Commander in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
to prevent or curtail the Rwandan genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
of 1994, despite being ordered by his superiors on three occasions to withdraw. The Award was presented to the General by Rt. Hon. Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
MP, then Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (UK)
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
, at Westminster Central Hall
Westminster Central Hall
The Westminster Central Hall or Methodist Central Hall is a Methodist church in the City of Westminster. It occupies the corner of Tothill Street and Storeys Gate just off Victoria Street in London, near the junction with The Sanctuary next to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and facing...
in London - symbolic as the venue for the very first General Assembly of the United Nations
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
in 1946.