WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, May 24, 2016/APO (African Press Organization)/ —
EVENT:
Please join us on Wednesday, May 25, 2016, at 1300 GMT for a telephonic press conference with Ambassador David Malcolm Robinson, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations and Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.
Assistant Secretary Robinson will discuss the recently signed Executive Order, “A Comprehensive Approach to Atrocity Prevention and Response”, and how it will institutionalize atrocity prevention and response. He will also discuss the work of the Atrocities Prevention Board and progress on specific human rights issues in countries such as Burundi, DRC, Guinea and South Sudan.
BACKGROUND:
The Department of State supports the work of the White House-led Atrocities Prevention Board to identify priority countries, monitor emerging situations, coordinate with interagency regional and functional offices to monitor risk, develop and disseminate tools, and ensure that agencies utilize the full range of prevention or response capabilities. The APB, in turn, complements ongoing work of the State Department to address mass atrocity risk, such as through the Department’s annual human rights reporting and monitoring, planning and programming to prevent violent conflict. The Department of State is honing its ability to effectively intervene at three stages: (1) Prevention: a long-term approach to countries at risk of developing characteristics associated with atrocities; (2) Mitigation: a focus on countries where atrocity risk is high, violence is escalating, and international attention is relatively low; (3) Response: timely use of expertise, diplomatic outreach, programs, political will, policy and media attention, and leadership to interrupt the imminent or ongoing threat of mass atrocities.
Additional Resources:
Deputy Secretary Blinken’s Keynote Address at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Atrocity Prevention Conference (May 18, 2016)
Deputy Secretary Blinken’s Background Briefing on the U.S. Government’s Comprehensive Approach to Atrocity Prevention and Response (May 18, 2016)
U.S. State Department Policy Statement: Atrocities Prevention
Website link: The Atrocities Prevention Board
White House blog: “A Comprehensive Approach to Atrocity Prevention, Three Years On” (April 30, 2015)”
Executive Order, “A Comprehensive Approach to Atrocity Prevention and Response” (May 18, 2016)
DETAILS:
Speakers: U.S.
Date: May 25, 2016
Time: 13:00 GMT
* Please use Time Zone Converter to determine the start time of the event in your time zone.
Language: English. French and Portuguese interpretation will be offered.
Ground rules: On the record
Dial-in Info: To be provided once you RSVP
RSVP: RSVP to afmediahub@state.gov. Please indicate if you will dial in (specify
English/French/Portuguese line), or request that we dial out to you (provide the phone number and language to be used).
Twitter: Follow us on @AfricaMediaHub. #PreventAtrocities or #PreventingAtrocities
LOGISTICS:
Callers should dial-in to the conference call 10-15 minutes early.
When an individual journalist dials-in, the operator will collect the caller’s name, press affiliation, and location. When an embassy dials in, the operator will ask the embassy’s name and location.
The moderator will facilitate the Q and A among the connected callers. Journalists on the conference call will be instructed to press the “*” and “1” buttons on their phones in order to enter the question queue. NOTE: You can press “*1” at any time during the call to join the question queue, even before the moderator begins the Q and A portion. We ask that journalists limit themselves to one question and indicate to which speaker the question is directed. Journalists can also submit questions in English to afmediahub@state.gov prior to or during the call.
BIO:
David Malcolm Robinson
Assistant Secretary and Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization
Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations
Ambassador David Malcolm Robinson was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations and Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization on January 4, 2016. He is a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor.
Throughout his Foreign Service career, Ambassador Robinson has worked in conflict zones and unstable environments ranging from Afghanistan to Bosnia to Central America, specializing in refugee and migration issues.
Prior to becoming the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations and Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, Ambassador Robinson served as the Principal Deputy High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina where he was responsible for implementing the Dayton Peace Agreement. Previously, he was the Assistant Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan from 2013 to 2014, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration from 2009 to 2013, and the Special Coordinator for Venezuela in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs from 2008 to 2009.
Ambassador Robinson also served as the United States Ambassador to Guyana from 2006 to 2008, as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia from 2003 to 2006, and as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Asuncion, Paraguay from 2000 to 2003. His earlier assignments included posts in El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Iceland.
Ambassador Robinson received a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, an M.S. from the National War College, and a Master of Divinity from Christ the King Seminary.
