How Can Genocide Be Prevented? Come To Rutgers In Newark On Oct. 10 To Hear UN Official’s Insights

Genocide has haunted the nations of the world for generations, with recent decades seeing not only WWII’s holocaust but genocides in Armenia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur, and other locales.  Understanding the cause of genocide, and seeking ways to prevent it, is the topic of an Oct. 10 free public program at Rutgers University, Newark.

WHAT/WHO:  “Genocide Prevention and Global Justice,” a free public program featuring the UN Secretary-General Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng.  The program is sponsored by the Rutgers Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights (CGHR) to officially launch its new UNESCO Chair in Genocide Prevention. 

WHEN/WHERE: Oct. 10, 6-8 p.m., Dana Room, John Cotton Dana Library, 185  University Ave. , Newark

BACKGROUND:  The UNESCO Chair on Genocide Prevention builds on a tradition of genocide studies at Rutgers dating back to the 1950s and to Rutgers-Newark Professor  Raphael Lemkin, the scholar/activist who coined the term genocide and worked for its criminalization in international law.  Successive R-N professors undertook research and advocacy on genocide and genocide prevention, and in 2007, the campus established what is now the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights. In partnership with UNESCO, the UNESCO Chair in Genocide Prevention was launched in 2013 to promote cutting edge research, launch innovative educational initiatives, serve as a think tank, disseminate information, and establish a global network on genocide studies and prevention.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Carla Capizzi, 983/353-5263, capizzi@rutgers.edu

More information on the UNESCO chair and additional public programs for 2013-2014 is at http://www.ncas.rutgers.edu/unesco-chair-genocide-prevention. Additional information on the mission and outreach of CGHR is at http://www.ncas.rutgers.edu/unesco-chair-genocide-prevention