The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 24, 2012

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Horn of Africa Humanitarian Crisis

In 2011, the worst drought in 60 years struck the Horn of Africa.  The United Nations declared famine in six regions of Somalia, threatening the lives of over 250,000 Somalis, and requiring urgent humanitarian assistance for more than 13.3 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and other parts of Somalia.  The international community responded and famine conditions abated in January 2012.  Nevertheless, today, more than 9 million people still remain in need of emergency assistance in Horn of Africa. 

To prevent a worsening of the fragile humanitarian situation and more people requiring emergency aid, the United States Government is providing an additional $120 million to those in need of emergency assistance in the Horn of Africa.  This assistance is targeted to avoid the crisis from escalating in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia where the lateness and insufficiency of rains are expected to have a significant negative impact on crop production.  We commend Ethiopia and Kenya for building the resiliency of their nations to mitigate the shock of food insecurity and drought, as well as their effort to host and provide a safe place for Somali refugees.  This contribution brings the total U.S. assistance for the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa to more than $1.1 billion since the crisis began in 2011. 

We urge the international community to continue their support and assistance to those in need of emergency assistance in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia with the objective of building resiliency in order to save lives.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 24, 2012

Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day

Today, we commemorate the Meds Yeghern, one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century.  In doing so, we honor the memory of the 1.5 million Armenians who were brutally massacred or marched to their deaths in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire.  As we reflect on the unspeakable suffering that took place 97 years ago, we join millions who do the same across the globe and here in America, where it is solemnly commemorated by our states, institutions, communities, and families.  Through our words and our deeds, it is our obligation to keep the flame of memory of those who perished burning bright and to ensure that such dark chapters of history are never repeated.  

I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915.  My view of that history has not changed.  A full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts is in all of our interests.  Moving forward with the future cannot be done without reckoning with the facts of the past.  The United States has done so many times in our own history, and I believe we are stronger for it.  Some individuals have already taken this courageous step forward.  We applaud those Armenians and Turks who have taken this path, and we hope that many more will choose it, with the support of their governments, as well as mine.

Although the lives that were taken can never be returned, the legacy of the Armenian people is one of triumph.  Your faith, courage, and strength have enabled you to survive and prosper, establishing vibrant communities around the world.  Undaunted, you have preserved your patrimony, passing it from generation to generation.  Armenian-Americans have made manifold contributions to the vibrancy of the United States, as well as critical investments in a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous future for Armenia.  The United States is proud of your heritage, and your contributions honor the memory of those who senselessly suffered and died nearly a century ago.  

On this solemn day of remembrance, we stand alongside all Armenians in recalling the darkness of the Meds Yeghern and in committing to bringing a brighter future to the people of Armenia.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2012

Statement by the President on Department of Defense Initiatives to Combat Sexual Assault in the Military

I applaud the initiatives that Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta and General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have announced to further combat sexual assault in the military.  The men and women of the United States military deserve an environment that is free from the threat of sexual assault, and in which allegations of sexual assault are thoroughly investigated, offenders are held appropriately accountable, and victims are given the care and support they need. Elevating these cases to a higher level of command review is a very important step. I believe that sexual assault has no place in our military.  I thank Secretary Panetta and Chairman Dempsey and look forward to seeing continued progress on this important issue.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2012

Statement by the President on Timor-Leste’s Election

I congratulate Taur Matan Ruak on his victory in Timor-Leste’s presidential election and the people of Timor-Leste for successfully participating in a peaceful, free, and transparent election.  I also recognize with deep appreciation President José Ramos Horta for his close friendship with the United States during his presidency, and look forward to continuing that productive relationship with Taur Matan Ruak.  

Our partnership with Timor-Leste is fundamental and enduring.  It is based on shared values of democracy, freedom, and human rights.  The United States remains steadfast in its support of Timor-Leste’s efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and consolidate peace and security in the country.    

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2012

Educating Our Way to an Economy Built to Last: Stopping the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike

Stopping the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama laid out a blueprint for an economy built to last—an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.

The President has worked tirelessly to get our economy growing again, but he knows there’s much more we can and must do, and that includes making smart investments in education that lead to better jobs and a stronger middle class. The strength of the American economy is inextricably linked to the strength of America’s education system: particularly at this make-or-break moment for the middle class we must continue to invest in creating an American workforce that has the skills for success in the global economy.  At a time when the average earnings of college graduates is twice that of workers with only a high school diploma, higher education is the clearest pathway into the middle class.

However, the cost of college is putting an affordable education out of reach for too many Americans.  Access to higher education today has become increasingly expensive for families:

  • America is home to the best colleges and universities in the world, yet tuition and fees measured in constant dollars have more than doubled over the past two decades.
  • In 2010, graduates who took out loans left college owing an average of more than $25,000.
  • Student loan debt has now surpassed credit card debt for the first time ever. 

Reductions in state funding and support for institutions are making the college cost problem even more challenging, forcing students to absorb cuts through higher tuition prices and significantly increasing the extent to which students must rely on loans to finance postsecondary education. 

In order to ensure more hard working and responsible students have a fair shot at an affordable higher education, President Obama is calling on states, colleges and universities, and Congress to act to curb rising prices and make higher education more affordable for all Americans.

President Obama is Calling on Congress to Stop Interest Rates
From Doubling on Student Loans:

Americans now owe more tuition debt than credit card debt, and student loan borrowing is more common now than it was a decade ago. At a time when the average student loan debt is $25,000 and tuition prices continue to rise, students are borrowing more than ever to complete their degrees.

On July 1, 2012, the interest rates on subsidized Stafford student loans are slated to double from 3.4% to 6.8%. To out-educate our global competitors and make college more affordable, Congress needs to stop the interest rate on these student loans from doubling.

If Congress doesn’t act before July 1, 2012, interest rates on loans for over 7.4 million students will double. And for each year that Congress doesn’t act, students rack up an additional $1,000 in debt over the life of their loans.

As he did in his State of the Union address, President Obama is calling on Congress to put forward legislation to stop interest rates from doubling. The President is calling on Congress to reward hard work and responsibility by keeping interest rates on student loans low so more Americans get a fair shot at an affordable college education, the skills they need to find a good job, and a clear path to the middle class.


Ensuring American Students have a Fair Shot at an Affordable Higher Education

Higher education is not a luxury: it is an economic imperative that every hard working and responsible student should be able to afford.  President Obama has emphasized that the federal government, states, colleges, and universities all have a role to play in making in making higher education more affordable, by reining in college costs, providing value for American families, and preparing students with a solid education to succeed in their careers. The President is calling on Congress to advance new reforms to give more hard working students a fair shot at pursuing higher education: 

  • Reforming student aid to promote affordability and value:  To keep tuition from spiraling too high and drive greater value, the President has proposed reforms to federal campus-based aid programs to shift aid away from colleges that fail to keep net tuition down, and toward those colleges and universities that do their fair share to keep tuition affordable, provide good value, and serve needy students well. These changes in federal aid to campuses will leverage $10 billion annually to help keep tuition down. 
  • Creating a Race to the Top for college affordability and completion: The President has proposed incentives for states to maintain their commitments to higher education through a new $1 billion investment.  The Race to the Top: College Affordability and Completion challenge aims to increase the number of college graduates and contain the cost of tuition by rewarding states that are willing to systematically change their higher education policies and practices. 
  • Kicking off a First in the World competition to model innovation and quality on college campuses:  The President is proposing an investment of $55 million in a new First in the World competition, to support public and private colleges and non-profit organizations as they work to develop and test the next breakthrough strategy that will boost higher education attainment and student outcome, while leading to reduced costs.
  • Providing better data for families to choose the right college for them: The President is calling for a College Scorecard for all degree-granting institutions, designed to provide essential information about college costs, graduation rates, and potential earnings, all in an easy-to-read format that will help students and families choose a college that is well suited to their needs, priced affordably, and consistent with their career and educational goals.
  • Redoubling federal support to tackle college costs:  The President has already made the biggest investments in student aid since the G.I. Bill through increases to the Pell grant, and by shoring up the direct loan and income-based repayment programs. In his State of the Union Address, the President also called on Congress to make the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent and double the number of work-study jobs over the next 5 years to better assist college students who are working their way through school. 

Building on Landmark Federal Investments to Make Higher Education More Affordable

The President has set the goal for the U.S. to be first in the world in college attainment by 2020. To achieve this bold goal for our nation’s future and to prepare students to compete in the 21st century global economy, the Obama Administration has championed landmark investments in student financial to make college more affordable for all American families: 

  • Increasing Pell Grants: The President has raised the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,635 for the 2013-14 award year – a $905 increase since 2008. The number of Pell Grant recipients has increased over that same time by 50 percent, providing college access to millions of additional students across the country. 
  • Helping Responsible Students Manage Student Loan Debt: The Administration’s “Pay as You Earn” plan expands income-based repayment to enable 1.6 million responsible students who are current on their payments to take advantage of a new option to cap repayment of student loans at 10% of monthly income.  These changes will reduce the burden of student loans in a fiscally responsible way.
  • Expanding Education Tax Credits: President Obama established the American Opportunity Tax Credit in 2009 to assist families with the costs of college, providing up to $10,000 for four years of college, university, or community college tuition for families earning up to $180,000. Over 9.4 million students and families benefit from the American Opportunity Tax Credit each year.  President Obama has called on Congress to make this tax credit permanent and prevent it from expiring in 2012. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2012

Presidential Proclamation -- National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, 2012

NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMS' RIGHTS WEEK, 2012
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

For more than three decades, advocates from every corner of America have worked to reinforce rights, services, and support for victims of crime. Our Nation stands stronger for their efforts. Today, thousands of victim assistance programs empower survivors with the tools to rebuild their lives. Yet, when only about half of all violent crimes are reported to the police and many victims struggle to secure the help they need, we know we must do more. This week, we rededicate ourselves to securing the full measure of justice for every crime victim, resolving disparities in our criminal justice system, and preventing crimes before they occur.

The incidence of crime in the United States is an affront to our national conscience and cannot be ignored. Millions of Americans experience violent or property crime victimization every year, and still more are impacted as they help a loved one in their hour of need. Sadly, children, seniors, persons with disabilities, immigrants, and traditionally underserved communities continue to experience disproportionately high rates of victimization. Moreover, women suffer the vast majority of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and rape. These outcomes are deplorable, and we must come together to build communities where all people have the opportunity to live in safety and security.

My Administration is committed to realizing that vision. With leadership from the Department of Justice, we are investing in programs to prevent crime, drug abuse, and violence in communities across our Nation. We are partnering with organizations and agencies at every level of government to develop robust victim services, support law enforcement, and strengthen our criminal justice system. We issued a revised definition of rape that will shed new light on how often this crime occurs, and we continue to combat sexual violence and expand support for survivors. From disrupting human trafficking networks, to fighting financial fraud, to empowering the millions who are affected by crime every year, my Administration is working to bring more Americans the services and protection they deserve. For additional information, resources, and assistance, visit www.CrimeVictims.gov.

During National Crime Victims' Rights Week, we commemorate the efforts of all who bring hope to crime victims during their darkest hour. As we reflect on the progress we have made toward ensuring fair treatment and full support for all crime victims, let us renew that fundamental American impulse to stand with those in need.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 22 through April 28, 2012, as National Crime Victims' Rights Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week by participating in events that raise awareness of victims' rights and services, and by volunteering to serve victims in their time of need.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2012

Fact Sheet: Mitigating and Eliminating the Threat to Civilians Posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army

Today, President Obama announced that the United States will continue the deployment of a small number of U.S. military advisors to assist Uganda and other regional forces pursuing the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and seeking to protect local populations.  The President said that upon ordering the deployment last year that he directed his National Security Council to review our progress after 150 days.  Having completed this review, he announced that our advisors will continue their efforts to support the regional forces.  “This is part of our regional strategy to end the scourge that is the LRA and help realize a future where no African child is stolen from their family, no girl is raped and no boy is turned into a child soldier,” as the President said.  The President made this announcement in remarks discussing the United States’ development of a comprehensive strategy to prevent and respond to mass atrocities.

The United States remains deeply engaged in support of the governments and people of central Africa in their efforts to end the threat posed by the LRA and reduce the human consequences of the LRA’s atrocities.  The United States is providing support for both military and civilian efforts to comprehensively address the LRA threat and help affected communities.

In May 2010, President Obama signed into law the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009, which reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to support regional partners’ efforts to end the atrocities of the LRA in central Africa.  As the President said at the time, “the legislation crystallizes the commitment of the United States to help bring an end to the brutality and destruction that have been a hallmark of the LRA across several countries for two decades, and to pursue a future of greater security and hope for the people of central Africa.”

The United States’ strategy outlines four key objectives:  (1) the increased protection of civilians, (2) the apprehension or removal of Joseph Kony and senior LRA commanders from the battlefield, (3) the promotion of defections from the LRA and support of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of remaining LRA fighters, and (4) the provision of continued humanitarian relief to affected communities.

The Lord’s Resistance Army

• For more than two decades, the LRA has murdered, raped, and kidnapped tens of thousands of men, women, and children in central Africa.  The LRA continues to commit atrocities in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and South Sudan that have a disproportionate impact on regional security.

• As the President has said before, “the Lord’s Resistance Army preys on civilians – killing, raping, and mutilating the people of central Africa; stealing and brutalizing their children; and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.  Its leadership, indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, has no agenda and no purpose other than its own survival.  It fills its ranks of fighters with the young boys and girls it abducts.  By any measure, its actions are an affront to human dignity.”

• The LRA’s top leaders are responsible for the murder, rape, and kidnapping of tens of thousands of men, women, and children over the last two decades, and we believe they should be brought to justice.  In 2005, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Joseph Kony, Okot Odhiambo, and Dominic Ongwen for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  (Two other senior leaders subject to an arrest warrant are now believed to be dead.)

Sustaining Pressure on LRA Leaders while Encouraging Defections and Protecting Civilians

• Last October, the President authorized the deployment of a small number of U.S. military advisors to enhance the collaboration and capacity of the regional forces pursuing the LRA and seeking to protect local populations.  We believe the advisors are making progress in their efforts, despite a difficult operating environment.

• The Governments of Uganda, CAR, DRC and South Sudan, in collaboration with the African Union, continue to dedicate significant material and human resources to bring an end to the threat posed by the LRA.  They are leading this effort, and the United States is committed to their efforts to keep the pressure on the LRA’s top leaders, encourage fighters to leave the group, and protect and assist civilians in need.  Continuing the deployment is contingent on the continued leadership and collaboration of affected states.

• The United States commends the governments in the region for their continued efforts to pursue top LRA commanders and protect local populations.  They have made progress keeping the LRA from regrouping.  However, there are significant challenges in pursuing top LRA commanders and protecting local populations across this vast, densely-forested area that lacks basic road and telecommunications infrastructure.

• The United States is working with the governments in the region, the United Nations and non-governmental partners to increase opportunities for non-indicted LRA fighters and abductees to safely leave the group.  We believe that targeted efforts to facilitate defections and support their reintegration, in parallel with increased military pressure, can help reduce the LRA’s capacity.    We continue to call on non-indicted LRA fighters to leave the group and take advantage of opportunities for reintegration.

• In addition, we are also working on other actions to protect civilians, including strengthening early warning networks and local protection planning, and providing humanitarian assistance to LRA-affected communities.

Partnering in Support of Regional Efforts

• We are working closely with the African Union, the United Nations, and the European Union as well as the four affected governments.

• We have a strong interest in working with our regional partners to enhance their capacity and cooperation to address shared threats to peace and security, such as the LRA, and to increase the protection of civilians.

Post-Conflict Recovery in Northern Uganda

• The President has commended “the Government of Uganda for its efforts to stabilize the northern part of the country, for actively supporting transitional and development assistance, and for pursuing reintegration programs for those who surrender and escape from the LRA ranks.”

• The Government of Uganda pushed the LRA out of Uganda by 2006, through a combination of military pressure and an aggressive campaign to encourage defections using its Amnesty Act.  Since that time, the Ugandan government has overseen a significant recovery process in northern Uganda.

• The United States has played a leading role, among other donors, in supporting northern Uganda’s recovery. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2012

President Obama Announces Jan Karski as a Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

WASHINGTON, DC – Earlier today at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, President Barack Obama announced he will award a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jan Karski, a former officer in the Polish Underground during World War II who was among the first to provide eye-witness accounts of the Holocaust to the world.  The Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. 

President Obama said, “We must tell our children about how this evil was allowed to happen—because so many people succumbed to their darkest instincts; because so many others stood silent.  But let us also tell our children about the Righteous Among the Nations.  Among them was Jan Karski—a young Polish Catholic—who witnessed Jews being put on cattle cars, who saw the killings, and who told the truth, all the way to President Roosevelt himself.  Jan Karski passed away more than a decade ago.  But today, I’m proud to announce that this spring I will honor him with America’s highest civilian honor—the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”

Karski served as an officer in the Polish Underground during World War II and carried among the first eye-witness accounts of the Holocaust to the world.  He worked as a courier, entering the Warsaw ghetto and the Nazi Izbica transit camp, where he saw first-hand the atrocities occurring under Nazi occupation.  Karski later traveled to London to meet with the Polish government-in-exile and with British government officials.  He subsequently traveled to the United States and met with President Roosevelt.  Karski published Story of a Secret State, earned a Ph.D at Georgetown University, and became a professor at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service.  Born in 1914, Karski became a U.S. citizen in 1954 and died in 2000.

Wanda Urbanska, Director of the Jan Karski U.S. Centennial Campaign, was notified recently of the President’s decision to award Karki with the Nation’s highest civilian honor.  The remainder of the honorees selected by the President will be announced over the coming weeks and the awards will be presented at a White House ceremony later this spring.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2012

Letter -- Blocking the Property and Suspending Entry into the United States of Certain Persons with Respect to Grave Human Rights Abuses by the Governments of Iran and Syria via Information Technology

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the "order") that takes additional steps with respect to the national emergencies declared in Executive Order 12957 of March 15, 1995, and relied on for additional steps in subsequent Executive Orders, and in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as modified in scope and relied on for additional steps in subsequent Executive Orders.

I have determined that the commission of serious human rights abuses against the people of Iran and Syria by their governments, facilitated by computer and network disruption, monitoring, and tracking by those governments, and abetted by entities in Iran and Syria that are complicit in those governments' malign use of technology for those purposes, threaten the national security and foreign policy of the United States. Consistent with the vital importance of providing technology that enables the Iranian and Syrian people to freely communicate with each other and the outside world, as well as the preservation, to the extent possible, of global telecommunications supply chains for essential products and services to enable the free flow of information, the measures in the order are designed primarily to address the need to prevent entities located in whole or in part in Iran and Syria from facilitating or committing serious human rights abuses. To address this situation, the order takes additional steps with respect to the national emergencies described above.

The order blocks the property and interests in property, and suspends entry into the United States, of persons listed in the Annex to the order, as well as persons determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with or at the recommendation of the Secretary of State:

 to have operated, or to have directed the operation of, information and communications technology that facilitates computer or network disruption, monitoring, or tracking that could assist in or enable grave rights abuses by or on behalf of the Government of Iran or the Government of Syria;

 to have sold, leased, or otherwise provided, directly or indirectly, goods, services, or technology to Iran or Syria likely to be used to facilitate computer or network disruption, monitoring, or tracking that could assist in or enable grave human rights abuses by or on behalf of the Government of Iran or the Government of Syria;

 to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the activities described above or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order; or

 to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order.

I have delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury the authority, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order.

All agencies of the United States Government are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of the order.

I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2012

Fact Sheet: A Comprehensive Strategy and New Tools to Prevent and Respond to Atrocities

Preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility of the United States. Our security is affected when masses of civilians are slaughtered, refugees flow across borders, and murderers wreak havoc on regional stability and livelihoods.  America's reputation suffers, and our ability to bring about change is constrained, when we are perceived as idle in the face of mass atrocities and genocide.  Unfortunately, history has taught us that our pursuit of a world where states do not systematically slaughter civilians will not come to fruition without concerted and coordinated effort.

-Presidential Study Directive 10, August 4, 2011

President Obama has made the prevention of atrocities a key focus of this Administration’s foreign policy. 
 
The Obama Administration has amassed an unprecedented record of actions taken to protect civilians and hold perpetrators of atrocities accountable.  These include:

  • Leading international efforts to bring pressure to bear on the abusive Qadhafi and Asad regimes through the formation of Groups of Friends, the imposition of extensive sanctions, support for the opposition, and support for efforts to bring perpetrators of atrocities to justice;
  • Leadership in securing the passage of UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973, which authorized—in an unprecedented combination of measures—referral of the situation in Libya to the International Criminal Court, an arms embargo, a no-fly zone, comprehensive sanctions against the Qadhafi regime that preserved Libya’s wealth for its people, and a mandate for the protection of civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack;
  • Leadership of a successful international military effort to protect civilians in Libya;
  • Spearheading the international effort to ensure a peaceful and orderly referendum and facilitate the independence of South Sudan;
  • Supporting regional efforts to counter the Lord’s Resistance Army and apprehend Joseph Kony, including by sending military advisers to Central Africa;
  • Working with regional and international partners—including UN peacekeepers on the ground—to help protect civilians and bring about the end of a violent electoral standoff in Cote d’Ivoire;
  • Helping secure the creation of commissions of inquiry to investigate alleged gross violations of human rights (in Cote d’Ivoire, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, and Syria);
  • Engaging intensively to support the capture of priority figures wanted by international tribunals (including Goran Hadzic and Ratko Mladic);
  • Leading efforts to combat sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) through creating the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security;  launching innovative pilot programs to prevent such violence and expand access to justice for victims in Kenya, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and supporting the appointment of a dedicated special representative position on SGBV in the UN Secretariat; 

President Obama also recognizes that in order to counter atrocities more effectively, the U.S. government must prioritize this effort, strengthen and expand the tools available to us, and establish a level of organization that matches our commitment.  In 2010, he created the first-ever White House position dedicated to preventing and addressing war crimes and atrocities.  And in August 2011, he issued Presidential Study Directive 10 (PSD-10), declaring the prevention of mass atrocities and genocide to be a “core national security interest and core moral responsibility” of the United States, ordering the creation of a whole-of-government Atrocities Prevention Board (APB), and directing the National Security Advisor to lead a comprehensive review to assess the U.S. government’s anti-atrocity capabilities, and recommend reforms that would fill identified gaps in these capabilities.
 
President Obama announced today that he has approved the recommendations generated by the review, and he has directed his Administration to take a range of steps to strengthen the U.S. government’s ability to foresee, prevent, and respond to genocide and mass atrocities, including:
 

  • The APB will help the U.S. government identify and address atrocity threats, and oversee institutional changes that will make us more nimble and effective.   Because strong organization and a whole-of-government approach is needed to counter atrocities effectively, the APB will include representatives of the Departments of State, Defense, Treasury, Justice, and Homeland Security, the Joint Staff, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Office of the Vice President--all of whom are at the Assistant Secretary level or higher and have been appointed by name by their respective Principals. The APB will meet at least monthly to oversee the development and implementation of atrocity prevention and response policy, and additionally on an ad hoc basis to deal with urgent situations as they arise.  The Chair of the APB will be the NSS Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights.  To ensure senior-level visibility into the work and progress the APB is making, the Deputies will meet at least twice a year, and Principals once a year, to review the work of the APB, and the Chair will report on this work annually in a memorandum to the President.  After six months of operations, the Chair (in consultation with the Board) will begin preparation of a draft Executive Order for consideration by the President that will, as appropriate, publicly set forth the structure, functions, priorities, and objectives of the Board, provide further direction for its work, and include further measures for strengthening atrocity prevention and response capabilities as identified in the course of the Board’s work.
     
  • The intelligence community will collect and analyze information that allows us to better anticipate, understand, and counter atrocity threats:
     
    • National Intelligence Estimate:  The APB will monitor the National Intelligence Council’s preparation of the first-ever National Intelligence Estimate on the global risk of mass atrocities and genocide. 
    • Congressional Reporting: The APB will also work with the Director of National Intelligence to include information about mass atrocity threats in his annual threat assessment testimony before Congress. 
    • Increased Collection and Analysis: The intelligence community will work internally and with our foreign partners to increase the overall collection, analysis, and sharing of information relating to atrocity threats and situations.
  • Our diplomats will encourage more robust multilateral efforts to prevent and respond to atrocities.  An effective atrocity prevention and response strategy – in which burdens are appropriately shared by other nations  – will require cultivating deeper and broader support among our bilateral partners, as well as international and regional organizations:
    • Diplomatic Initiative: The United States will engage with countries and other stakeholders around the world to expand and deepen international commitment and capacity to prevent and respond to atrocities.
    • Peacekeeper Training:  The United States will update our training programs for UN peacekeepers to focus on enhanced techniques for civilian protection, including prevention of sexual and gender-based violence. 
    • UN System Capacity: The United States will work with the United Nations to strengthen UN capacity for conflict prevention and crisis management, including through preventive diplomacy and mediation, especially when UN missions encounter escalating atrocity threats.
    • Regional Capacity:   The United States will also work with our partners to build the capacity of regionally-based organizations to prevent and respond to atrocities. 
       
  • We will deploy new tools that the Obama Administration has developed:
    • New Kinds of Targeted Sanctions: The President yesterday signed an Executive Order that authorizes sanctions and visa bans against those who commit or facilitate grave human rights abuses via information technology (“GHRAVITY sanctions”) related to Syrian and Iranian regime brutality.  This novel sanctions tool allows us to sanction not just those oppressive governments, but the companies that enable them with technology they use for oppression and the “digital guns for hire” who create or operate systems used to monitor, track, and target citizens for killing, torture, or other grave abuses.
    • Denying Entry to the United States: DHS and State will use the President’s visa ban on human rights abusers issued last August alongside other legal tools to deny perpetrators of serious violations of human rights or humanitarian law, or other atrocities, entry to the United States.
  • And we will add new tools and expanded capabilities to our arsenal:
    • Civilian Surge: State and USAID will increase the ability of the United States Government to “surge” specialized expertise in civilian protection on a rapid response basis in crisis situations.
    • Lessons Learned: Departments and agencies will compile after action “lessons-learned” reports (of the sort already performed by the U.S. Armed Forces) to record key innovations, areas of success, and issues requiring future work in the area of atrocity prevention and response.
    • Awards for Innovation:  USAID will, together with co-funder Humanity United, issue a “Tech Challenge for Atrocity Prevention” that will invite ideas—and award grants—for innovative technologies that strengthen the U.S. government’s capacity for early warning, prevention, and response with respect to mass atrocities.   USAID will also issue a “Grand Challenge for Development” that will provide major investments—and leverage those investments with global partners—to bring to scale innovative tools, policy initiatives, and advocacy efforts that will strengthen efforts to prevent and respond to mass atrocities. 
    • Financial Levers: Treasury will position itself to more quickly use its financial tools to block the flow of money to abusive regimes and will explore with international partners the use of additional financial measures for preventing and responding to atrocities.
       
  • We will make our military and civilian workforce better equipped to prevent and respond to atrocities:
    • Military:
      • DOD will further develop operational principles (i.e., doctrine) and planning techniques specifically tailored around atrocity prevention and response.  The Joint Staff has prepared an appendix on mass atrocity response operations to be included in its Joint Publication on Peace Operations.  This document will help ensure that forces have the training and knowledge to succeed in atrocity prevention missions.
      • Geographic combatant commands will incorporate mass atrocity prevention and response as a priority in their planning, activities and engagements.
      • DOD will routinely organize exercises incorporating mass atrocity prevention and response scenarios to test operational concepts supporting mass atrocity prevention and response.
      • DOD will continue to develop more agile planning processes and tools so options can be developed quickly in emergency situations.
      • The faculty from the service academies will meet at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum at the end of May 2012 to discuss how to incorporate mass atrocity and genocide prevention into their curricula.
         
    • Government-wide:
      • All departments and agencies that have a role in atrocity prevention and responses have been directed to begin to develop curricula and programs to train military and civilian personnel in civilian protection and atrocity prevention. 
      • These departments and agencies have also been directed to create performance incentives for work contributing to atrocity prevention.
         
  • We will hold accountable perpetrators of mass atrocities and genocide and support others who do the same:
    • Denying Impunity in the United States: DOJ, DHS, and State will develop proposals that would strengthen the United States Government’s ability to prosecute perpetrators of atrocities found in the United States, and permit the more effective use of immigration laws and immigration fraud penalties to hold accountable perpetrators of mass atrocities.
       
    • Denying Impunity Abroad: The U.S. government will support national, hybrid, and international mechanisms (including, among other things, commissions of inquiry, fact finding missions, and tribunals) that seek to hold accountable perpetrators of atrocities when doing so advances U.S. interests and values, consistent with the requirements of U.S. law.  State, DOJ, and DHS will develop options for assisting with witness protection measures and providing technical assistance in connection with foreign and international prosecutions.  And we will continue to work with Congress to expand State’s authority to make reward payments for information that leads to the arrest of foreign nationals indicted for war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide by international, hybrid, or mixed criminal tribunals.
       
  • And we will ensure that key decision-makers receive early warning and hear dissenting views.  To ensure that information about potential or ongoing atrocities reaches key decision makers in a timely way, departments and agencies will be required to have “alert channels” that will allow individuals to share relevant unreported information about mass atrocities with the APB—including analysis or reporting that a superior may have blocked from being disseminated—without adverse professional consequences.  Comparable procedures within the National Security Staff will ensure that information about atrocity threats and situations, reaches the President.