Below is the farewell message today by H.E. Dr. Karen Smith who concluded her time as Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on the Responsibility to Protect after 2 years and a half:
Dear R2P/atrocity prevention colleagues and friends,
I trust this message finds you well and about to embark on a well-deserved summer/winter break, if you have not done so already. After two and a half years as Special Adviser for the Responsibility to Protect, it is time to say goodbye. It has been an interesting, at times rewarding, and at other times frustrating, ride. The frustration has been partly due to the lack of time I have been able to dedicate to such important work, but of course also to the inevitable politics related to the mandate. The Covid-19 pandemic made the work more challenging in many ways, but the rapid shift to the online world also allowed me to participate in a number of activities that otherwise would not have been possible, time- and travel-wise.
In terms of where we are with R2P, my assessment is – perhaps surprisingly – a more optimistic one that when I first took on the role. While there are certainly challenges, mainly related to perceptions and framing, the overall picture, in terms of continued support for the principle at the UN but – most importantly – support for it at the grassroots level by those affected by gross human rights abuses, and the steadfast commitment to implementing atrocity prevention by a wide range of actors, is generally a positive one. With regards to future prospects, at the UN there is much potential for looking beyond the Security Council to the General Assembly and the Geneva mechanisms in implementing R2P. But in terms of prevention, early warning and early action, national and regional actors remain crucial, and this is where the hard work that so many of you are engaged in needs to continue.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you, as part of the R2P/atrocity prevention community, for being so welcoming to a “stranger”, for teaching me so much, and for your unwavering support. I remain in awe of the work that you do, and your tremendous dedication to the cause. I hope to remain involved in advancing the agenda in some way – most likely by doing what I know best, which is teaching, so please do stay in touch and reach out to me if I can be of assistance. I can henceforth be reached via my Leiden University email: k.smith@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Kind regards, Karen
