International Agenda

International Agenda

2021 Legislative Agenda (119th Congress)

World Without Genocide raises awareness about instances of mass violence and genocide that occur throughout the world. We currently focus on the following situations that either fulfill the definition of genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes, or present a significant threat of those crimes occurring if the violence remains unchecked.

  • The conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region
  • Persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar/Burma
  • Persecution of the Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minority groups in China
  • The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh

Awareness of these atrocities is not enough. We must act.

Current legislation in the United States Congress addresses each of these situations. The bills are described below. Contact us at admin@worldwithoutgenocide.org for additional information and to support action.

Conflict in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia

S.Res.97: A resolution calling on the Government of Ethiopia, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, and other belligerents to cease all hostilities, protect human rights, allow unfettered humanitarian access, and cooperate with independent investigations of credible atrocity allegations pertaining to the conflict in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. 

  • Sponsor:  Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]
  • Summary: This resolution calls on actors involved in the Ethiopian conflict to stop hostilities and take steps to promote sustainable peace and justice for atrocities committed.
  • Latest Action:05/19/2021 Resolution agreed to in Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title and an amended preamble by Unanimous Consent.

Persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar/Burma

S.1142: A bill to require a determination as to whether crimes committed against the Rohingya in Burma amount to genocide. 

  • Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J.  [D-MA]
  • Summary: This bill requires Secretary of State Antony Blinken to investigate Myanmar’s actions against the Rohingya and determine if they meet the definition of genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment for the Crime of Genocide.
  • Latest Action: 04/15/2021 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Violations of human rights by China

S.1846- SPEECH Act of 2021

  • Sponsor: Cornyn, John [R-TX]
  • Summary: – This bill would require the Secretary of State to review and control the export of items that could enable human rights abuses such as surveillance, censorship, DNA sequencing, or facial or voice recognition.
  • Latest Action: 05/26/21, Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

S.65:  Uyghur forced labor prevention act.

  • Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
  • Summary: This bill imposes importation limits on goods produced using forced labor in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in China and imposes sanctions related to such forced labor. The bill would condemn American and Chinese companies who are profiting off of Uyghur forced labor.
  • Latest Action: 07/15/2021 Passed Senate and Received by the House of Representatives.

S.Res.13: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the International Olympic Committee should rebid the 2022 Winter Olympic Games to be hosted by a country that recognizes and respects human rights. 

  • Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL]
  • Summary: This resolution calls for the International Olympic Committee to rebid the 2022 Winter Olympics if China fails to demonstrate significant progress in securing fundamental human rights.
  • Latest Action: 01/22/2021 Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

S.602: Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2021.

  • Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom. [R-AR]
  • Summary: With bi-partisan support, the Act would prevent global organ trafficking by prohibiting the export of organ transplant surgery devices to entities responsible for human organ trafficking. Additionally, the Act would impose sanctions on individuals and governments found to be supporting forced organ harvesting and organ trafficking.
  • Latest Action: 03/04/2021 Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

H.R. 1630 – Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act

  • Sponsor: Theodore Deutch [D-FL]
  • Summary: This Act would designate residents of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as Priority 2 refugees of special humanitarian concern. The act also recognizes that China’s actions against the Uyghurs violate:
  • Latest Action: 5/18/21, Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship

Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh

H.Res.240: Calling on Azerbaijan to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians. 

  • Sponsor:  Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]
  • Summary: This resolution calls on the Azerbaijan government to release prisoners captured during the current conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh. These prisoners- many of whom are non-combatants- are mostly ethnic Armenians.
  • Latest Action: 04/02/2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment, and Cyber.

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