The Responsibility to Protect in Venezuela

Please join the CSIS Americas Program for a timely public discussion on the relevance of the international commitment of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in the context of the rapidly developing crisis in Venezuela.  For this discussion, we will be joined by Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) and Miguel Angel Martin, the President of the Venezuelan Supreme Court in Exile.
 
In 2005, the United Nations developed the concept of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) commitment, the purpose of which is to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Given the rapidly escalating political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, and the repression and physical harm that the Venezuelan people have been subjected to in recent years, the relevance of R2P has become a crucial part of the discussion surrounding the strategy of how the international community should respond to the crisis. The critical question is whether R2P could be used to justify further international action to end the current suffering of the Venezuelan people.
 
We will discuss the purpose and nuances of R2P as it could apply to Venezuela and how the international community could use this principle as a tool in future crises. The discussion will be moderated by CSIS Americas Associate Director and Venezuela expert, Moises Rendon. 

Additional speakers to be announced.

This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.