Central European University and Brookings Institution Collaborate for Event on Genocide Prevention

May 31, 2012

Budapest, May 17, 2012 – Building on the legacy of U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the Brookings Institution, in collaboration with Central European University (CEU)'s School of Public Policy and International Affairs (SPPIA), will host a special panel event on preventing genocide and mass atrocities on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 from 10 a.m. to noon. Following on the recent creation of an Atrocity Prevention Board by the Obama administration, this event will focus on U.S. and international commitments and efforts to prevent genocide and mass atrocities, a theme that was central to  Ambassador Holbrooke’s life and work.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Richard Holbrooke one of America’s “fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants.” Until his untimely death in December 2010, he was a top-ranking American diplomat, among whose many accomplishments included his role as chief architect of the Dayton Accords which brought peace to Bosnia. He committed his life to international diplomacy, the prevention of genocide, and the promotion of peace.

The first panel, moderated by Brookings President Strobe Talbott, will focus on what can be learned from Ambassador Holbrooke’s work, especially in terms of atrocity prevention. Panelists will include Robert Orr, U.N. assistant secretary general for policy coordination and strategic planning; Kati Marton, author, journalist, and CEU trustee; and Vali Nasr, dean of the John Hopkins School of Advance International Studies and senior fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings.

The second panel will address future challenges and policy choices in genocide and mass atrocity prevention. This panel will be moderated by Senior Fellow Bruce Jones, director of the Managing Global Order Project at Brookings. Panelists will include Jake Sullivan, director of policy planning, U.S. Department of State; John Shattuck, president and rector, Central European University; and Renata Uitz, professor of law, Central European University.

After each session, the panel will take audience questions.

To honor Holbrooke and to continue his valuable work, CEU will establish the Richard C. Holbrooke Center for Conflict Resolution and Prevention of Genocide. The center will be the first of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe and will pay tribute to its namesake who was one of the foremost practitioners of world conflict resolution. Its dual purposes will be to research, study, publish, promote, and disseminate knowledge about genocide and conflict resolution and to engage with policymakers, advocates, and activists who will employ this knowledge in their work.

Under the leadership of CEU President and Rector John Shattuck, who worked closely with Richard Holbrooke to end the war in Bosnia, the Holbrooke Center is poised to serve as hub in the region and globally for the study and dissemination of knowledge on mass atrocities and resolution of the conflicts that cause them. The center will build on the considerable knowledge and expertise on genocide prevention and conflict resolution in CEU’s interdisciplinary faculty, as well as the expertise of strategic partners such as the Open Society Archives, the Budapest Centre for the International Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities, and the EU Task Force on genocide prevention, among others.

For media inquiries, please turn to Colleen Sharkey, CEU international media relations manager at +36 30 916 2273 or sharkeyc@ceu.hu