Using both failures to prevent genocides and apparent successes to avert conflict as a starting point, the workshop focused on practical measures to prevent genocide. It was agreed that the best way to secure prevention is through strong political leadership. It is crucial to create an atmosphere in which preventative measures are both respected and encouraged. Public pressure is necessary in order to influence leaders towards action.
The workshop endorsed the UN Secretary General’s suggestion to create a Committee and establish a Special Rapporteur on the Prevention of Genocide. Concerns about responsibility and responsiveness were raised in respect of this. In the current framework, no one person or organization is held responsible for reporting threats of genocide or other atrocities. The Special Rapporteur, if adopted by the UN, would clarify that responsibility, but this does not in any way alleviate the obligation of member states and the Security Council to act.

While waiting for the establishment of the proposed Rapporteur or Committee, the workshop recommended that information be provided through an interim, ad hoc task force. It was also emphasized that the Committee must not be perceived as merely another bureaucratic layer, but rather be an independent reporting body, drawing upon NGO and UN resources. The workshop offered the suggestion that NGOs concerned with genocide should form an alliance, which could be represented on this Committee. The Special Rapporteur, furthermore, must be given direct access to the Security Council and should be based in New York.

Aside from the Secretary General’s suggestions, further steps must be taken in order to effectively implement preventative measures on a global scale. Policy makers must make use of the broad range of instruments available to them. The Eliasson Ladder of Conflict Prevention, for example, offers a structure by which proportionate responses may be implemented through every stage of conflict. Planning for military action should be an integrated part of the preventive response. If deployed, military forces must be allowed to act within a broad and integrated mandate.

Creating a preventative culture requires long-term educational efforts for all sectors of society, from the community level up through the highest governmental institutions. Of special importance here would be training diplomats, as well as peacekeeping forces, to become aware of and act upon the early signs of atrocities. The workshop proposed supporting the initiative to create a committee with the task of organizing seminars for professionals and presenting quarterly reports to the UN Security Council on early warning and risk assessment.

The media and NGOs are crucial actors in raising public awareness of genocide and gross human rights violations, especially in their early stages. NGOs have a well developed capacity for information gathering. However, a mobilization gap exists – that is, information is not efficiently translated into action. Therefore the capacity to rally political forces for action must be improved.

The workshop also highlighted the importance of taking into account potential contributors to the preventative process who are often ignored. Regional efforts can offer the ability to react quickly, and to alert the international community at the onset of conflict.Women, furthermore, should be seen as both a force for information and a resource during reconstruction.