Within the framework of the agenda of the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, AIPR, the Human Rights office of the Ministry of Defense of Bolivia, and the Stanley Foundation co-organized a training seminar entitled "The Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities and Protection of Indigenous Populations in Latin America." This activity, the second national-level seminar with a regional scope, was held on October 25 and 26 in La Paz in collaboration with the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide (OSAPG). In addition to local ministerial and other official representatives that work on prevention-related issues, the training activity also welcomed the participation of public officials from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Paraguay. The seminar had four primary objectives:
1. Familiarizing participants with the concepts of genocide and mass atrocities, as well as the international standards established for their prevention;
2. Equipping participants with the theoretical and practical competencies to understand and detect risk factors for genocide and mass atrocities and adopt the necessary measures for their prevention, with a special emphasis on the situation of indigenous populations;
3. Reinforcing the "responsibility to protect" as a norm of international security and human rights through the recognition that sovereignty is a privilege and not a right; and
4. Strengthening national and regional capacities, facilitating the creation of networks of public officials who are responsible for the implementation of public policy with a high degree of awareness and sensitivity while deepening the work of the Network, which was created in 2012.
Following this program, the Latin American Network held its annual Focal Points Meeting on November 8-9 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The meeting was co-organized by the Auschwitz Institute, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, the Stanley Foundation, and the UN OSAPG. The event served as an opportunity to continue promoting collaborative efforts between member countries of the Network, reflecting on current challenges, introducing new themes and lines of work, as well as facilitating the continuation of significant projects running since the body's inception. In addition to addressing the progress and challenges related to the long-term projects carried out within the framework of the Network and the follow-up of the initiatives developed at the national level, the meeting provided a space for joint reflection on contemporary challenges in the region and a dialogue session to advance both the design of revised proposals and the consolidation of the body's 2019 agenda. Additionally, within the framework of the IX Meeting, the Focal Points made a joint statement for the 2018 [International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime](http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=ssaprb5ab.0.0.o8y6pgdab.0&id=preview&r=3&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fen%2Fevents%2Fgenocidepreventionday%2F), the text of which can be found below:
**69/323. International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime (Adopted by the General Assembly on 11 September 2015). Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention.**
> On the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention invites the commemoration of the dignity of the victims of this horrendous crime through concrete preventive actions and encourages the broader international community to recognize, and remain attentive to, new global challenges. With the conviction that only through coordinated efforts, sustained dialogue, and actions oriented towards the construction of memory, as well as the fight against discrimination and impunity, we will transform the grief from these atrocities into forceful messages and actions in order to build long-lasting peace.
Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention
December, 2018.-
