Rethinking Genocide Prevention: From early warning to early action | United Nations

The United Nations’ newly appointed Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide issues a stark warning that the world is witnessing an alarming erosion of respect for international law, with conflicts increasingly targeting civilians and heightening the risk of atrocity crimes. Despite the gravity of his mandate, the Special Adviser remains focused on diplomacy and prevention over public condemnation. Mr. Chaloka Beyani of Zambia was appointed Special Adviser of the Secretary-General for the Prevention of Genocide at the Under- Secretary-General level in August 2025. He is an international expert on internally-displaced persons, population transfers, mercenaries and private military companies, sexual and reproductive health, human rights-based approach to development and climate change, having served as Legal Adviser to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office of the High Commissioner on Refugees, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, United Nations Development Fund for Women, the European Union, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the African Union. Mr. Beyani holds a Doctor of Philosophy, University of Oxford, UK (1992), as well as a Master of Laws and a Bachelor of Laws, University of Zambia (1984, 1982).


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