USHMM To Hold Symposium on Genocide Prevention

On Tuesday, July 24, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in cooperation with the Council on Foreign Relations and CNN, will present a symposium exploring the challenges of preventing genocide in the 21st century. The symposium will be webcast live at act.ushmm.org/endgenocide.

"Sixty-seven years after the Holocaust, after which the world vowed 'Never Again,' it is unacceptable that genocide persists," said Museum Chairman Tom A. Bernstein. "We have learned much from the past about the causes of genocide, and now it is time to also look over the horizon at emerging trends that will impact how these atrocities unfold in years to come. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum hopes this symposium and our ongoing efforts will make a substantial contribution to understanding and preventing genocide and other mass atrocities in the future."



The symposium will feature a keynote address by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and remarks from Christopher A. Kojm, chairman of the US National Intelligence Council, which is conducting its first-ever estimate on risks of mass atrocities. Symposium participants include senior leaders from government, think tanks, business, academia, philanthropy, and the genocide prevention field.



Two panels moderated by CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Washington Post Pulitzer Prize-winner Dana Priest will focus on how economic, political, technological, demographic, and other trends will affect the risk of mass killing and on innovative strategies for preventing genocide. Panelists include futurist Peter Schwartz, Holocaust historian Timothy Snyder, military strategist Sarah Sewall, business entrepreneur Strive Masiyiwa, CNN Beirut correspondent Arwa Damon, and diplomat Richard Williamson.



USHMM will also unveil the results of a large-scale public opinion poll that will provide new insight into Americans' knowledge of and attitudes toward genocide and its prevention.