The United Nations and Atrocity Crimes: An Enquiry into the Development of International Regime

Genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing are the examples of the mass atrocities that continue to occur in many parts of the globe today. In response to the issue of systematic and widespread atrocities, states have created international rules and standards to stop and hold those who are committing the crimes. This article looks at the framework that is already in place for prevention and tries to help States that want to be proactive, understand their legal obligations, and most importantly, act on those obligations. One assessment method that should be used as best practice is to conduct an Atrocity Impact Assessment, which assesses a State's current impact in a nation or region as well as any potential steps it could take to help prevent mass atrocities.