Genocide Intervention Network
Encyclopedia
The Genocide Intervention Network (or GI-NET) is a non-profit organization
that "envisions a world in which the global community is willing and able to protect civilians from genocide
and mass atrocities. Its current mission is to empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide." Currently GI-NET focuses most of its efforts on the genocide in Darfur
, Sudan
.http://www.genocideintervention.net/about/mission.php Formerly, the Genocide Intervention Network was known as the Genocide Intervention Fund; it changed its name in September 2005.
, by then–Swarthmore College
students Mark Hanis
and Andrew Sniderman, soon joined by Rwanda
n native Stephanie Nyombayire
. As students of international politics and peace and conflict studies
, they were convinced that the time had come for a more systematic response to the recurring problem of genocide — a response which could promote and support widespread government and citizen action to protect civilians from violence.
GI-NET was formed in order to empower citizens with the tools to advance initiatives able to directly protect civilians from genocidal violence and stop genocide. Although their focus was on direct forms of civilian protection explicitly, they realized the need to educate the public about the numerous possibilities for acting against genocide. In collaboration with other students and alumni of Swarthmore College, GI-NET began developing a website that would eventually host a broad variety of information about the most responsible means of preventing, responding to, and ending genocidal violence along with links to significant organizations whose missions focus on these aspects of genocidal crises.
In November 2004, GI-NET gained the dedicated support of Gayle Smith, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress
, who traveled to Addis Ababa
, Ethiopia
, to initiate conversations with the African Union
. Subsequent outreach efforts allowed GI-NET to develop relationships with necessary supporters in the worlds of policy, education, and media.
With widespread support from their advisers, endorsers http://www.genocideintervention.net/about/endorsers.php and a determined volunteer staff of students and alumni of Swarthmore College, the GI-NET was incorporated in February 2005, as the Genocide Intervention Fund, working under the fiscal sponsorship of the Center for American Progress.
By April 2005, GI-NET’s support base had grown substantially. The Genocide Intervention Network was publicly launched on 6 April as over 300 students and professionals from around the country joined in a lobby day that would mark the beginning of GI-NET’s "100 Days of Action Campaign", held in honor of the 100-day Rwandan genocide
of 1994.
By the end of the summer GI-NET had raised over $250,000 for its efforts to support civilian protection while increasing their network of supporters, advisers, and concerned citizens.
During reflection and strategy sessions at the end of the summer in 2005, GI-NET chose to more explicitly systematize its efforts to engage and empower citizens. In response to this need GI-NET developed a membership and chapter program http://www.genocideintervention.net/members/ that will allows GI-NET to provide increased support for an expanding membership base while enabling members to be in contact for collaborative efforts. It received widespread notice in October after New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof lauded the organization in a column.http://www.genocideintervention.net/about/press/coverage/index.php/archives/78
GI-NET currently has a permanent staff of five full-time employees,http://www.genocideintervention.net/about/staff.php. It has three official "representatives," Stephanie Nyombayire
, Ronan Farrow and Bec Hamilton.
It is headquartered in Washington, DC, at 1333 H Street NW.
in Darfur http://www.genocideintervention.net/fundraise/.
rating each member of Congress on legislative action relating to Darfur.http://darfurscores.org/
The Genocide Intervention Network issues regular "action alerts"http://www.genocideintervention.net/advocate/actionalerts/ that center on U.S. legislation relating to the Darfur genocide and the African Union peacekeeping force (AMIS II). It often partners with other non-profits working in Darfur-related areas, such as the Save Darfur Coalition
, the Friends Committee on National Legislation
, Africa Action
, Students Taking Action Now: Darfur
and Oxfam
.
Its best-known campaign is "Genocide Hits Home,"http://www.genocidehitshome.org/ which pressures U.S. lawmakers to pass legislation in support of U.S. action in Darfur while they are in their home districts during Congressional recesses. It is also active in the Sudan divestment
movement.
In July 2006, it criticized the termination of US funds to AU peacekeepers
in Darfur by Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer
, encouraging its members to fax Frazer and tell her to reconsider.http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/ginetwork/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4684 Frazer had said that the United States will give no further funds because it expects a transition to a UN peacekeeping mission by 1 October 2006. Yet as of July 2006, the UN has yet to pass a resolution in support of the peacekeeping mission and Sudan continues to refuse to admit UN troops into Darfur.
GI-NET additionally releases regularly updated "action kits."http://www.genocideintervention.net/members/kits/
The GI-NET operates within the framework of the "Responsibility to Protect" report, produced by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty
in 2001. The Commission concluded that "sovereign states have a responsibility to protect their own citizens from avoidable catastrophe ... but that when they are unwilling or unable to do so, that responsibility must be borne by the broader community of states."http://www.iciss.ca/report-en.asp
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1574
strongly endorsed AMIS II, whose mandate included directives to monitor a tenuous ceasefire, oversee the safe return of internally displaced persons, secure the delivery of humanitarian aid, and protect civilians "under imminent threat and in the immediate vicinity."
As of 2006, formal terms of agreement between GI-NET and the African Union are in the process of being drafted, principally by GI-NET advisory board chair Gayle Smith. Funds raised by the Network are not used to purchase lethal equipment.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that "envisions a world in which the global community is willing and able to protect civilians from genocide
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...
and mass atrocities. Its current mission is to empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide." Currently GI-NET focuses most of its efforts on the genocide in Darfur
Darfur conflict
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.http://www.genocideintervention.net/about/mission.php Formerly, the Genocide Intervention Network was known as the Genocide Intervention Fund; it changed its name in September 2005.
History
The Genocide Intervention Network was founded in October 2004 in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, by then–Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
students Mark Hanis
Mark Hanis
Mark Hanis is the Co-Founder, Board member, & Founding President of United to End Genocide , an organization created with the mission to empower citizens and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. Hanis graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in Political Science and a...
and Andrew Sniderman, soon joined by 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...
n native Stephanie Nyombayire
Stephanie Nyombayire
Stephanie Nyombayire is a representative for the Genocide Intervention Network and a Rwandan native. She graduated from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania in June 2008....
. As students of international politics and peace and conflict studies
Peace and conflict studies
Peace and conflict studies is a social science field that identifies and analyses violent and nonviolent behaviours as well as the structural mechanisms attending social conflicts with a view towards understanding those processes which lead to a more desirable human condition...
, they were convinced that the time had come for a more systematic response to the recurring problem of genocide — a response which could promote and support widespread government and citizen action to protect civilians from violence.
GI-NET was formed in order to empower citizens with the tools to advance initiatives able to directly protect civilians from genocidal violence and stop genocide. Although their focus was on direct forms of civilian protection explicitly, they realized the need to educate the public about the numerous possibilities for acting against genocide. In collaboration with other students and alumni of Swarthmore College, GI-NET began developing a website that would eventually host a broad variety of information about the most responsible means of preventing, responding to, and ending genocidal violence along with links to significant organizations whose missions focus on these aspects of genocidal crises.
In November 2004, GI-NET gained the dedicated support of Gayle Smith, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Its website states that the organization is "dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action." It has its headquarters in Washington D.C.Its President and Chief...
, who traveled to Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, to initiate conversations with the African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
. Subsequent outreach efforts allowed GI-NET to develop relationships with necessary supporters in the worlds of policy, education, and media.
With widespread support from their advisers, endorsers http://www.genocideintervention.net/about/endorsers.php and a determined volunteer staff of students and alumni of Swarthmore College, the GI-NET was incorporated in February 2005, as the Genocide Intervention Fund, working under the fiscal sponsorship of the Center for American Progress.
By April 2005, GI-NET’s support base had grown substantially. The Genocide Intervention Network was publicly launched on 6 April as over 300 students and professionals from around the country joined in a lobby day that would mark the beginning of GI-NET’s "100 Days of Action Campaign", held in honor of the 100-day 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.
By the end of the summer GI-NET had raised over $250,000 for its efforts to support civilian protection while increasing their network of supporters, advisers, and concerned citizens.
During reflection and strategy sessions at the end of the summer in 2005, GI-NET chose to more explicitly systematize its efforts to engage and empower citizens. In response to this need GI-NET developed a membership and chapter program http://www.genocideintervention.net/members/ that will allows GI-NET to provide increased support for an expanding membership base while enabling members to be in contact for collaborative efforts. It received widespread notice in October after New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof lauded the organization in a column.http://www.genocideintervention.net/about/press/coverage/index.php/archives/78
GI-NET currently has a permanent staff of five full-time employees,http://www.genocideintervention.net/about/staff.php. It has three official "representatives," Stephanie Nyombayire
Stephanie Nyombayire
Stephanie Nyombayire is a representative for the Genocide Intervention Network and a Rwandan native. She graduated from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania in June 2008....
, Ronan Farrow and Bec Hamilton.
It is headquartered in Washington, DC, at 1333 H Street NW.
Campaigns
The work of GI-NET primarily falls within three categories: education http://www.genocideintervention.net/educate/, advocacy http://www.genocideintervention.net/advocate/ and fundraising for civilian protection. Their pilot program is to support the African Union peacekeepersAfrican Union Mission in Sudan
The African Union Mission in Sudan was an African Union peacekeeping force operating primarily in the country's western region of Darfur with the aim of performing peacekeeping operations related to the Darfur conflict. Originally founded in 2004, with a force of 150 troops, by mid-2005, its...
in Darfur http://www.genocideintervention.net/fundraise/.
Education
The Genocide Intervention Network provides weekly summaries known as Darfur News Briefs http://www.genocideintervention.net/educate/darfurnews/ of all mainstream and independent press about the situation in Darfur, as well as third-party reports and analysis from humanitarian organizations. GI-NET also archives relevant reports http://www.genocideintervention.net/educate/reports/ on its own site, as well as conducting its own research.Advocacy
In August 2006, GI-NET published a congressional scorecardScorecard
A scorecard can be one of the following:*in sports, a record for scorekeeping, see Baseball scorekeeping#Scorecards*a general performance measurement tool, see** Balanced scorecard,** Process scorecard...
rating each member of Congress on legislative action relating to Darfur.http://darfurscores.org/
The Genocide Intervention Network issues regular "action alerts"http://www.genocideintervention.net/advocate/actionalerts/ that center on U.S. legislation relating to the Darfur genocide and the African Union peacekeeping force (AMIS II). It often partners with other non-profits working in Darfur-related areas, such as the Save Darfur Coalition
Save Darfur Coalition
The Save Darfur Coalition is an advocacy group calling for international intervention in the Darfur genocide in the Eastern African state of Sudan...
, the Friends Committee on National Legislation
Friends Committee on National Legislation
The Friends Committee on National Legislation a 501 lobbying organization in the public interest founded in 1943 by members of the Religious Society of Friends...
, Africa Action
Africa Action
Africa Action is a national human rights nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, working to change U.S.-Africa relations to promote political, economic and social justice in nations of Africa. They provide accessible information and analysis, and mobilize popular support for campaigns to...
, Students Taking Action Now: Darfur
Students Taking Action Now: Darfur
STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition is an organization which seeks to raise awareness about the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, raise relief funds for those affected by the conflict, and advocate for political action....
and Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
.
Its best-known campaign is "Genocide Hits Home,"http://www.genocidehitshome.org/ which pressures U.S. lawmakers to pass legislation in support of U.S. action in Darfur while they are in their home districts during Congressional recesses. It is also active in the Sudan divestment
Divestment
In finance and economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of asset for either financial or ethical objectives or sale of an existing business by a firm...
movement.
In July 2006, it criticized the termination of US funds to AU peacekeepers
African Union Mission in Sudan
The African Union Mission in Sudan was an African Union peacekeeping force operating primarily in the country's western region of Darfur with the aim of performing peacekeeping operations related to the Darfur conflict. Originally founded in 2004, with a force of 150 troops, by mid-2005, its...
in Darfur by Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer
Jendayi Frazer
Jendayi Elizabeth Frazer is the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, heading the Bureau of African Affairs. She currently serves as a Distinguished Service Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College and Department of Social and Decision...
, encouraging its members to fax Frazer and tell her to reconsider.http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/ginetwork/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4684 Frazer had said that the United States will give no further funds because it expects a transition to a UN peacekeeping mission by 1 October 2006. Yet as of July 2006, the UN has yet to pass a resolution in support of the peacekeeping mission and Sudan continues to refuse to admit UN troops into Darfur.
GI-NET additionally releases regularly updated "action kits."http://www.genocideintervention.net/members/kits/
Fundraising
While the Genocide Intervention Network does conduct fundraising on its own behalf,http://www.genocideintervention.net/donate/info.php its primary activity in this regard is raising money to directly support African Union peacekeepers in Darfur. In addition to soliciting money from individual donors, it regularly encourages its membership to hold their own fundraising events, such as "Dinners for Darfur."http://www.genocideintervention.net/fundraise/dinners.phpPrinciples
The GI-NET does not make legal determinations of genocide; members have argued that recognition and response to the threat of genocide must take precedence over legal debates.The GI-NET operates within the framework of the "Responsibility to Protect" report, produced by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty
International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty
The International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty was an ad hoc commission of participants which in 2001 worked to popularize the concept of humanitarian intervention and democracy-restoring intervention under the name of "Responsibility to protect."The Commission was founded by...
in 2001. The Commission concluded that "sovereign states have a responsibility to protect their own citizens from avoidable catastrophe ... but that when they are unwilling or unable to do so, that responsibility must be borne by the broader community of states."http://www.iciss.ca/report-en.asp
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1574
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1574
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1574, adopted unanimously at a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, on November 19, 2004, after recalling resolutions 1547 , 1556 and 1564 , the Council welcomed political efforts to resolve the conflicts in Sudan and reiterated its readiness to establish a mission...
strongly endorsed AMIS II, whose mandate included directives to monitor a tenuous ceasefire, oversee the safe return of internally displaced persons, secure the delivery of humanitarian aid, and protect civilians "under imminent threat and in the immediate vicinity."
As of 2006, formal terms of agreement between GI-NET and the African Union are in the process of being drafted, principally by GI-NET advisory board chair Gayle Smith. Funds raised by the Network are not used to purchase lethal equipment.
Endorsers
A complete list of endorsers is available http://www.genocideintervention.net/about/endorsers.php, but some of GI-NET's notable supporters include:- former Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd AxworthyLloyd AxworthyLloyd Norman Axworthy, PC, OC, OM is a prominent Canadian politician, statesman and University President from Manitoba. He is best known for having served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien...
- Gerald CaplanGerald CaplanGerald Lewis Caplan, PhD is a Canadian academic, public policy analyst, commentator and political activist. He has had a varied career in academia, as a political organizer for the New Democratic Party, in advocacy around education, broadcasting and African affairs and as a commentator in various...
- Rev. Richard CizikRichard CizikRichard Cizik was the Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals and one of the most prominent Evangelical lobbyists in the United States. In his position with the NAE, Cizik's primary responsibilities were setting the organization's policy on issues and...
- Canadian Senator Lt. Gen. Roméo DallaireRoméo DallaireLieutenant-General Roméo Antonius Dallaire, is a Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general...
- Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar
- Gareth EvansGareth Evans (politician)Gareth John Evans, AO, QC , is a former Australian politician from 1978 to 1999 representing the Australian Labor Party, serving in a number of ministries including Attorney-General and Foreign Minister from 1983 to 1996 in the Hawke and Keating governments. He was president and chief executive...
- Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh
- Former U.S. Rep. Joe HoeffelJoe HoeffelJoseph Merrill "Joe" Hoeffel III is an American politician. A Democrat, he is currently a member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, having previously served from 1992 to 1998....
- Institute for the Study of Genocide
- Former Canadian MP/Cabinet Minister David KilgourDavid KilgourDavid Kilgour, PC is a former Canadian politician.Kilgour graduated from the University of Manitoba in economics in 1962 and the University of Toronto law school in 1966. From crown attorney in northern Alberta to Canadian Cabinet minister, Kilgour ended his 27 year tenure in the Canadian House of...
- UN Spec. Advisor on Genocide Prevention Juan E. Méndez
- Rwandan Ambassador to the United States Zac NsengaZac NsengaZac Nsenga became the Rwandan ambassador to the United States in 2003.He studied and graduated from Makerere University Medical school with a degree in human medicine and the University of Westminster with an MA in diplomatic studies and a certificate in strategic studies.He has been ambassador to...
- Samantha PowerSamantha PowerSamantha Power is an Irish American academic, governmental official and writer. She is currently a Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and runs the Office of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights as Senior Director of Multilateral Affairs on the Staff of the National Security Council...
- John PrendergastJohn PrendergastJohn Prendergast is an American human rights activist, author, and former Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council. He is the co-founder of the Enough Project, a non profit human rights organization affiliated with the Center for American Progress...
- David J. Scheffer
- John ShattuckJohn ShattuckJohn Shattuck is an international legal scholar and human rights leader, became the fourth President and Rector of Central European University in August 2009. CEU is a global institution of graduate education in the social sciences, the humanities, law, business, environmental studies, government...
- Gayle Smith
- Gregory StantonGregory StantonGregory H. Stanton is the founder and president of Genocide Watch, the founder and director of the Cambodian Genocide Project, and the founder and Chair of the International Campaign to End Genocide...
- Former U.S. Rep. Howard WolpeHoward WolpeHoward Eliot Wolpe III was a seven-term U.S. Representative from Michigan and Presidential Special Envoy to the African Great Lakes Region in the Clinton Administration, where he led the United States delegation to the Arusha and Lusaka peace talks, which aimed to end civil wars in Burundi and the...
External links
- Genocide Intervention Network website
- Darfur scorecard
- Genocide Hits Home campaign
- Power to Protect campaign
- Walking the Talk, op-ed by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, 9 Oct. 2005
- Translating Genocide, documentary film by MTV featuring Stephanie NyombayireStephanie NyombayireStephanie Nyombayire is a representative for the Genocide Intervention Network and a Rwandan native. She graduated from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania in June 2008....
- Student Aid: Raising Money to Save Darfur, column by New RepublicThe New RepublicThe magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
columnist Jason Zengerle, 20 Mar. 2006 - Students Lead Movement to Bring Peace to Darfur, National Public Radio, 30 Apr. 2006
- Pushing for action in Darfur, feature by Ann CurryAnn CurryAnn Curry is an American television news journalist and co-anchor on NBC's morning television program Today. She is the former news anchor on Today, a role she began in March 1997, and was the host of Dateline NBC from 2005-2011.Curry is a Board Member at the IWMF .-Biography:Curry was born in...
of NBC NewsNBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
, 1 May 2006 - 'Why Can't We?', a graduation address by Samantha PowerSamantha PowerSamantha Power is an Irish American academic, governmental official and writer. She is currently a Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and runs the Office of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights as Senior Director of Multilateral Affairs on the Staff of the National Security Council...
, 23 May 2006