Washington to host Lemkin Summit on genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) is a co-sponsor of this year’s “Lemkin Summit to End Genocide and Mass Atrocities”, a three-day conference bringing community leaders and students at the forefront of the anti-atrocity movement to Washington, D.C., for a weekend of learning and action.

Participants will hear from expert panels and guest speakers on topics including U.S. government responses and tools supporting civil society groups on the ground and in conflict areas, including the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan. At this year’s Lemkin Summit, participants will have the opportunity to network with one another, receive advocacy training, and learn how to leverage their connections, the media, and other resources to engage their communities and policymakers in taking action. The conference will culminate in a political advocacy day on Capitol Hill.

The Lemkin Summit is named in honor of Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-Jewish lawyer who was an ardent activist and tireless defender of human rights. Lemkin coined the term “genocide” in 1944, lobbied the U.N. for genocide to be added to international law, and participated in the drafting of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.