Sign-On Letter by PPWG to Secretary of State Marco Rubio Urging Prioritization of Atrocity Prevention During the Reorganization of the Department of State

May 15, 2025

The Honorable Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State
2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Rubio,

The Prevention and Protection Working Group (PPWG), a coalition of over 350 organizations and experts dedicated to preventing violent conflict and atrocities, protecting civilians, and promoting justice and accountability for international crimes, along with the undersigned organizations, urge you to prioritize atrocity prevention during the reorganization of the U.S. Department of State. At a time of record-breaking levels of violent conflict and rising mass atrocities, the proposed reorganization of the Department concerningly eliminates or downsizes several key offices and bureaus that are central to the successful implementation of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act (EWGAPA), which you co-sponsored and President Trump signed into law. These offices and bureaus include the Office of Global Criminal Justice (GCJ), the Bureau for Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO), the Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI), and the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL). Dismantling or deprioritizing the atrocities prevention and accountability offices and bureaus and terminating their experts will dramatically undermine the ability of the U.S. Government to successfully implement EWGAPA and effectively respond to destabilizing mass atrocities and grave human rights abuses globally.

By enacting EWGAPA, Congress and President Trump recognized that preventing mass atrocities is not only a moral imperative, but also a strategic investment that directly advances U.S. national security and economic interests by reducing forced migration, regional instability, trade disruptions, and the drivers of violent extremism. Proactive prevention—through support for early warning systems, inclusive governance, and conflict mitigation and resolution—helps address the root causes of instability before they escalate into mass violence. The forward-looking approach outlined by EWGAPA is cost-effective and advances U.S. security and economic interests, as well as global stability. 

GCJ plays a vital role advising the Secretary and the rest of the Department on issues related to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, and helps formulate policy on the prevention of, responses to, and accountability for mass atrocities. GCJ works closely with other governments, international institutions, and civil society to support commissions of inquiry, fact-finding missions, rewards programs to encourage the arrest of wanted war criminals, and other investigations and prosecutions of international crimes. It also coordinates the utilization of diplomatic, legal, economic, military, and intelligence tools to promote accountability, protect and assist survivors, promote reconciliation, deter violence, and build the rule of law. With a modest staff and budget, GCJ has secured substantial wins and spearheaded impactful initiatives to advance implementation of EWGAPA and ensure U.S. leadership in justice and accountability in contexts such as Ukraine, Sudan, and beyond.

CSO serves an important coordinating function for the implementation of EWGAPA and takes the lead pen in the drafting of the annual report to Congress required by law. Given CSO’s complementary leadership of the Global Fragility Act (GFA), the Bureau has made important strides in integrating atrocity prevention and response principles into the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, the priority country/regional plans, and overall GFA implementation. CSO has also been central to fulfilling EWGAPA’s mandate of biannual consultation and engagement on the drafting of the Congressional report with civil society. Since the onset of conflict in Sudan in April 2023, CSO has facilitated nearly monthly briefings between the interagency and PPWG members, Sudanese stakeholders, diaspora members, and other experts working in and on Sudan since the conflict broke out in April 2023. Furthermore, CSO’s Negotiation Support Unit has helped reduce or resolve conflicts and protect civilians through global engagement.

S/GWI is essential to implementing the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Act, which you also co-sponsored and President Trump signed into law, and ensures the integration of considerations of women and girls in EWGAPA implementation and U.S. policies on atrocities prevention and response. S/GWI’s participation in the Atrocity Prevention Task Force directly advances the integration of WPS considerations in EWGAPA efforts, as reflected in the most recent report to Congress. S/GWI develops vital initiatives to prevent and address gender-based atrocities, including conflict-related sexual violence, encourages “the development of transitional justice and accountability mechanisms that are inclusive of the experiences and perspectives of women and girls,” and facilitates training to ensure women’s meaningful participation in conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution and civilian protection, as required by the WPS Act. Without S/GWI, the disproportionate and profound impacts of conflict and atrocities on women and girls risk being marginalized in U.S. policies and programs.  

DRL’s ongoing stewardship of atrocity prevention training for U.S. Government employees and international partners, allies, and local government officials in at-risk countries has directly increased the safety and security of the U.S. Additionally, DRL’s global programming has  reduced atrocity risks, saved lives, and stemmed violence and illicit activity by armed groups (many of them subject to U.S. sanctions) in countries where the U.S. has core national security interests. These programs also build resilience against atrocities and reduce dependence on U.S. assistance by training local leaders, including faith-based leaders, to utilize existing resources to reduce conflict and by supporting locally-led transitional justice to prevent recurrence.

While the U.S. Government has made important strides in advancing the atrocities prevention agenda since EWGAPA’s enactment, much work remains. However, that work will be undermined if these offices and bureaus are eliminated or significantly reduced. We strongly urge you to keep GCJ, CSO, S/GWI, and DRL in place with sufficient staffing and mandates to meet the full ambitions of EWGAPA and avoid upending significant progress on the integration of atrocities prevention with the two other prevention-focused laws—the GFA and the WPS Act. At a bare minimum, we urge you to preserve and embed the key experts, responsibilities, and resources of these offices and bureaus into other Department entities in order to elevate atrocity prevention and accountability throughout the Department and U.S. foreign policy and programs. 

Sincerely,

Alliance for Peacebuilding
Aware Girls
Darfur Women Action Group
Fund for Peace
GEIA, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security
Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention
Institute of World Affairs
Invisible Children
Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology
Minnesota Peace Project
The Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
No Business With Genocide
Nonviolent Peaceforce
PartnersGlobal
Search for Common Ground
The Sentry
United Church of Christ