,,iii #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #dac ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #g1 #bjad ,mr4 ,coons 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 and ,mr4 ,flake7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,recognizing #bj years since the genocide in ,rwanda1 and affirming it is in the national interest of the ,united ,states to work in close coordination with international partners to help prevent and mitigate acts of genocide and mass atrocities4 ,whereas1 in the aftermath of the ,holocaust1 the ,united ,nations ,general ,assembly adopted the ,convention on the ,prevention and ,punishment of the ,crime of ,genocide declaring that genocide1 whether committed in a time of peace or war1 is a crime under international law2 ,whereas the ,united ,states was the first country to sign the ,convention on the ,prevention and ,punishment of the ,crime of ,genocide1 and the ,senate voted to ratify the ,convention on the ,prevention and ,punishment of the ,crime of ,genocide on ,february #aa1 #aihf2 ,whereas1 for approximately #ajj days between ,april #g1 #aiid1 and ,july #aiid1 more than #hjj1jjj civilians were killed in a genocide in ,rwanda that targeted members of the ,tutsi1 moderate ,hutu1 and ,twa populations1 resulting in the horrific deaths of nearly #gj percent of the ,tutsi population living in ,rwanda2 ,whereas the massacres of innocent ,rwandan civilians were premeditated and systematic attempts to eliminate the ,tutsi population by ,hutu extremists1 fueled by hatred and incitement propagated by newspapers and radio2 ,whereas1 in addition to systematic targeting of an ethnic minority in ,rwanda resulting in the mass slaughter of innocent civilians1 rape was also used as a weapon of war2 ,whereas1 despite the deployment of the ,united ,nations ,assistance ,mission for ,rwanda 7,,unamir7 in ,october #aiic following the end of the ,rwandan ,civil ,war1 its mandate was insufficient to ensure the protection of large swathes of the population1 demonstrating the inability of the ,united ,nations to effectively respond to the unfolding genocide and stop or mitigate its impact2 ,whereas1 on ,july #d1 #aiid1 the ,rwandan ,patriotic ,front1 a trained military group consisting of formerly exiled ,tutsis1 began its takeover of the country1 which resulted in an ending of the genocide1 though not a complete end to the violence1 including retribution2 ,whereas1 in ,october #aiid1 the ,international ,criminal ,tribunal for ,rwanda 7,,ictr7 was established as the first international tribunal with the mandate to prosecute the crime of genocide and ultimately prosecuted #fc individuals for war crimes1 including genocide and crimes against humanity as well as the first convictions for rape as a weapon of war2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government supports initiatives to ensure that victims of genocide and mass atrocities are not forgotten1 and has committed to work with international partners to help prevent genocide and mass atrocities and identify and support a range of actions to protect civilian populations at risk2 ,whereas1 in ,july #bjjd1 the ,senate adopted ,senate ,concurrent ,resolution #acc and the ,house of ,representatives adopted ,house ,concurrent ,resolution #dfg1 declaring that 8the atrocities unfolding in ,darfur1 ,sudan1 are genocide01 and calling on the ,united ,states ,government and the international community to take measures to address the situation immediately2 ,whereas1 in ,september #bjjd1 the ,united ,states ,government1 in testimony by ,secretary of ,state ,colin ,powell before the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate1 declared the ongoing conflict in ,darfur1 ,sudan1 a 8genocide0 perpetrated by the government based in ,khartoum against its own people and affecting over #b1djj1jjj people in ,sudan1 including an estimated #bjj1jjj fatalities2 ,whereas1 in ,september #bjje1 the ,united ,states joined other members of the ,united ,nations in adopting ,united ,nations ,general ,assembly ,resolution #fj_/a1 which affirmed that the international community has a responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic1 humanitarian and other peaceful means1 in accordance with ,chapter ,,vi 7,military enforcement7 and ,,viii 7,regional ,arrangements7 of the ,united ,nations ,charter1 to help protect populations from genocide1 war crimes1 ethnic cleansing1 and crimes against humanity2 ,whereas1 in ,december #bjaa1 the ,senate unanimously passed ,senate ,concurrent ,resolution #ga1 recognizing the ,united ,states national interest in helping to prevent and mitigate acts of genocide and other mass atrocities against civilians1 and urging the development of a whole of government approach to prevent and mitigate such acts2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjab1 ,president ,barack ,obama established the ,atrocities ,prevention ,board within the ,united ,states inter-agency structure1 chaired by ,national ,security staff1 to help identify and more effectively address atrocity threats1 including genocide1 as a core national security interest and core moral responsibility2 ,whereas1 in ,july #bjac1 the ,national ,intelligence ,council completed the first ever ,national ,intelligence ,estimate on the global risk for mass atrocities and genocide2 ,whereas1 in ,january #bjad1 the ,national ,director of ,intelligence testified before the ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,senate1 stating that 8the overall risk of mass atrocities worldwide will probably increase in #bjad and beyond4 ''' ,much of the world will almost certainly turn to the ,united ,states for leadership to prevent and respond to mass atrocities402 ,whereas1 despite measures taken by the ,united ,states ,government and other governments since #aiid1 the international community still faces the challenges of responding to escalation of violence1 atrocities1 and religious-based conflict in many corners of the globe1 including ,syria and the ,central ,african ,republic1 and a failure of the international community to appropriately respond to and address the rapidly deteriorating situation could result in further atrocities2 ,whereas the ,united ,nations ,security ,council was unable to pass a resolution condemning the ,government of ,bashar al ,assad of ,syria for the use of chemical weapons against civilians1 killing more than #a1djj of his own people in ,august #bjac2 and ,whereas ,united ,nations ,secretary-,general ,ban ,ki-moon recommended to the ,united ,nations ,security ,council the establishment of a ,united ,nations peacekeeping mission in the ,central ,african ,republic with the primary mandate to protect civilians3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 recognizes the ,united ,nations designation of ,april #gth as the ,international ,day of ,reflection on the ,genocide in ,rwanda2 7#b7 honors the memory of the more than #hjj1jjj victims of the ,rwandan genocide and expresses sympathy for those whose lives were forever changed by this horrific event2 7#c7 expresses support for the people of ,rwanda as they remember the victims of genocide2 7#d7 affirms it is in the national interest of the ,united ,states to work in close coordination with international partners to prevent and mitigate acts of genocide and mass atrocities2 7#e7 condemns ongoing acts of violence and mass atrocities perpetrated against innocent civilians in ,syria1 the ,central ,african ,republic1 ,south ,sudan1 ,sudan and elsewhere2 7#f7 urges the ,president to confer with ,congress on an ongoing basis regarding the priorities and objectives of the ,atrocities ,prevention ,board2 7#g7 urges the ,president to work with ,congress to strengthen the ,united ,states ,government's ability to identify and more rapidly respond to genocide and mass atrocities in order to prevent where possible and mitigate the impact of such events2 and 7#h7 supports ongoing ,united ,states and international efforts to-- 7,a7 strengthen multilateral peacekeeping capacities2 7,b7 build capacity for democratic rule of law1 security sector reform1 and other measures to improve civilian protection in areas of conflict2 7,c7 ensure measures of accountability for perpetrators of mass atrocities and crimes against humanity2 and 7,d7 strengthen the work of ,united ,states and international institutions1 such as the ,holocaust ,memorial ,museum1 which are working to document1 identify1 and prevent mass atrocities and inspire citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred and prevent genocide4