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The House of Lords is due to debate the Genocide (Prevention and Response) Bill [HL] at second reading on 22 March 2024.

The bill is a private member’s bill sponsored by Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws (Labour). It would make provision about how the government monitors and reports on activities to prevent and respond to genocide and other atrocity crimes, by requiring the government to:

  • appoint a minister to lead its work on genocide and atrocity crime prevention and response
  • establish a genocide monitoring team, which would have to regularly report to the ministerial lead on genocide and atrocity crime prevention and response, including with recommendations to improve policies, programmes, resources, and tools
  • facilitate regular training on genocide and atrocity crimes for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) civil servants and staff at all UK embassies and overseas missions
  • regularly report to Parliament, including on ongoing genocides and other atrocity crimes and countries and regions at risk of such crimes
  • establish a fund to support programmes and activities to prevent or respond to potential genocide and atrocity crimes

Baroness Kennedy has argued that these measures would follow similar changes adopted in the United States and help to ensure that the UK government was better equipped to prevent and respond to genocide and other atrocity crimes.

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