Communities facing genocide have never felt so alone. Survivors facing extermination and destructive violence are asking tough and critical questions. “Why does the world do so little to protect our undeniable and inalienable rights?” “Why is it so hard to bring perpetrators to account?” “Why do we have to fight for justice and survival alone?” “What is the point of an international legal system if it is at the mercy of political interests and is only selectively enforced?”
It has been 76 years since the adoption of the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1948, and yet these existential questions remain unanswered.
Building the Case for Strategic Philanthropy
Over the last soon-to-be 10 years, my team and I at the Zovighian Public Office have been serving and safeguarding communities facing atrocity crimes in the Middle East and the South Caucasus. There is a very clear case for philanthropy and philanthropists to act, not only because it is morally right, but because it is strategically immensely impactful.
Photo Courtesy of Johny Kondakjian / The Zovighian Partnership
To say the least, all human beings are equal and deserve to have their rights and existence protected. Harming, in part or in whole, any group is a grave and unsalvageable loss for all humankind. We should live in a world where no people should have to defend their right to exist and thrive in safety and dignity. Might should not be right.
How can philanthropists assume the immense responsibility of defending justice and accountability, one that communities, the United Nations, international law, special courts, and many human rights advocates and lawyers are still struggling to achieve?
Build and Give Voice to Evidence and the Truth
By investing in community-centered research, data can drive the prevention of crimes, as well as the implementation and enforcement of justice and accountability, and very importantly, at the pace communities need justice mechanisms to sprint. When justice takes too long, perpetrators are given more runway to achieve their destructive objectives, and impunity yields more power.
Photo Courtesy of Emilia Lixi / International Organization for Migration
When philanthropic capital goes into researching real-time evidence, the data speak for itself, can be credibly verified, and is blatantly too dangerous to ignore. Equipping endangered communities with well-funded, multi-disciplinary, and high expertise teams of investigators, researchers, storytellers, and human rights lawyers is an indispensable proven practice to not only elevate survivor voices but also ensure they are heard on the front pages of newspapers, diplomatic stages, and court rooms. Philanthropy can bring unparalleled agility to painstakingly and dangerously slow justice and accountability mechanisms, not only because high quality evidence is produced, but because with the right social and political capital, clear and convincing evidence can reach prosecutors and leaders.
While philanthropy-funded community-based evidence cannot reverse the harms of lost time, it can ensure the world stops losing precious time to understand, act, and enable. This is especially pertinent in violent environments that are unable to connect with the world due to internet and electricity black-outs, a new weapon of mass destruction.
Working Toward Never Again
The case for philanthropy and philanthropists to step up is not only strong, but also compelling, because the social return on investment is immeasurable. In the world of international human rights law, enabling one community to see justice served sets precedence for others who are also seeking accountability and reparations. That is the first step to ensure never again.
Photo Courtesy of Mohamad Chreyteh / The Zovighian Partnership
With philanthropists on their team, persecuted communities can build the power they need to enforce accountability that is holistic, wholesome, and on their own terms. That is the world endangered communities deserve to live in—a world where they are not alone in demanding truth and justice.
Lynn Zovighian is a philanthropist and founder of the Zovighian Public Office, partnering with communities facing genocide and crises in the Middle East and Caucasus through research, advocacy, and diplomacy. She is also co-founder of Zovighian Partnership.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
