115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3030 
AN ACT 
To help prevent acts of genocide and other atrocity crimes, 
which threaten national and international security, by 
enhancing United States Government capacities to pre-
vent, mitigate, and respond to such crises. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Elie Wiesel Genocide 
and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that the United States 
affirms the critical importance of strengthening the 
United States Government’s efforts at atrocity prevention 
and response through interagency coordination such as the 
Atrocities Prevention Board (referred to in this section as 
the ‘‘Board’’) or successor entity. In carrying out the work 
of the Board or successor entity, appropriate officials of 
the United States Government should— 
(1) meet regularly to monitor developments 
throughout the world that heighten the risk of atroc-
ities; 
(2) identify any gaps in United States foreign 
policy concerning regions or particular countries re-
lated to atrocity prevention and response; 
(3) facilitate the development and implementa-
tion of policies to enhance the capacity of the United 
States to prevent and respond to atrocities world-
wide; 
(4) provide the President with recommendations 
to improve policies, programs, resources, and tools 
related to atrocity prevention and response;
(5) conduct outreach, including consultations, 
not less frequently than biannually, with representa-
tives of nongovernmental organizations and civil so-
ciety dedicated to atrocity prevention and response; 
(6) operate with regular consultation and par-
ticipation of designated interagency representatives 
of relevant Federal agencies, executive departments, 
or offices; and 
(7) ensure funds are made available for the 
policies, programs, resources, and tools related to 
atrocity prevention and response, including through 
mechanisms such as the Complex Crises Fund or 
other related accounts. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It shall be the policy of the United States to— 
(1) regard the prevention of genocide and other 
atrocities as in its national security interests; 
(2) mitigate threats to United States security 
by addressing the root causes of insecurity and vio-
lent conflict to prevent— 
(A) the mass slaughter of civilians; 
(B) conditions that prompt internal dis-
placement and the flow of refugees across bor-
ders; and
(C) other violence that wreaks havoc on re-
gional stability and livelihoods; 
(3) enhance the capacity of the United States 
to identify, prevent, address, and respond to the 
drivers of atrocities and violent conflict as part of 
the United States’ humanitarian, development, and 
strategic interests; and 
(4) pursue a Government-wide strategy to pre-
vent and respond to the risk of genocide and other 
atrocities by— 
(A) strengthening the diplomatic, risk 
analysis and monitoring, strategic planning, 
early warning, and response capacities of the 
Government; 
(B) improving the use of foreign assistance 
to respond early, effectively, and urgently in 
order to address the root causes and drivers of 
violence, and systemic patterns of human rights 
abuses and atrocities; 
(C) strengthening diplomatic response and 
the use of foreign assistance to support transi-
tional justice measures, including criminal ac-
countability, for past atrocities; 
(D) supporting and strengthening local 
civil society, including human rights defenders
and others working to help prevent and respond 
to atrocities, and protecting their ability to re-
ceive support from and partner with civil soci-
ety at large; 
(E) promoting financial transparency and 
enhancing anti-corruption initiatives as part of 
addressing a root cause of insecurity; and 
(F) employing a variety of unilateral, bilat-
eral, and multilateral means to prevent and re-
spond to conflicts and atrocities by— 
(i) placing a high priority on timely, 
preventive diplomatic efforts; and 
(ii) exercising a leadership role in pro-
moting international efforts to end crises 
peacefully. 
SEC. 4. TRAINING OF FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS IN CON-
FLICT AND ATROCITIES PREVENTION. 
Section 708 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 
U.S.C. 4028) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph: 
‘‘(D) instruction on recognizing patterns of 
escalation and early warning signs of potential 
atrocities or violence, including gender-based vi-
olence, and methods of conflict assessment, 
peacebuilding, mediation for prevention, early 
action and response, and transitional justice 
measures to address atrocities.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term 
‘peacebuilding’ means nonviolent activities designed to 
prevent conflict through— 
‘‘(1) addressing root causes of violence; 
‘‘(2) promoting sustainable peace; 
‘‘(3) delegitimizing violence as a dispute resolu-
tion strategy; 
‘‘(4) building capacity within society to peace-
fully manage disputes, including the capacity of gov-
ernments to address citizen grievances; and 
‘‘(5) reducing vulnerability to triggers that may 
spark violence.’’.