Washington, D.C. – The House today passed the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018 (H.R. 3030), which honors the legacy of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel by strengthening the U.S. Government’s coordination on efforts to prevent, mitigate and respond to genocide and other mass atrocities – thereby furthering U.S. commitments to his call for “Never Again.”

On the House floor prior to the vote, Chairman Royce delivered the following remarks (as prepared for delivery):

“Over sixty years have passed since free people around the world pledged to never again stand by in silence as an oppressed people are annihilated.

Unfortunately, since then, we have witnessed mass atrocities and genocide in places such as Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia, Burma and in ISIS strongholds in Syria and Iraq.

The United States has often been a leader in responding to these and other humanitarian crises.

However, there is more that can be done. U.S. efforts have been largely reactive and disjointed, with little transparency or oversight.

H.R. 3030, the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocity Prevention Act, would correct these deficiencies. This act would require an annual report of administration actions to prevent and respond to potential genocides and mass atrocities, and would mandate the identification of countries that are at risk of such crimes against humanity.

This act also requires that all foreign service officers – who often are at the forefront of U.S. efforts to address atrocities – be trained to deal with early warning signs, conflict assessment, mediation and other responses.

All of this will better enable our government to develop a coordinated response as a crisis is developing, and ultimately save lives.

With its name, this bill honors the legacy of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and furthers our commitment to his call for Never Again by strengthening the U.S. Government’s coordination on efforts to prevent, mitigate, and respond to genocide and other mass atrocities.

I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.”

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