Collections : [Oskar Diethelm Library]

Dr. Hamburg was appointed as Chairman of the Advisory Committee to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide in early 2006. Members of the committee included: Monica Andersson, Senior Adviser, Department for International Law, Human Rights and Treaty Law, Swedish Foreign Ministry; Romeo Dallaire, Canadian Senator and former Force Commander of the UN Mission for Rwanda; Gareth Evans, President, International Crisis Group and former Foreign Minister for Australia; Zakari Ibrahim, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria; Juan Mendez, President, International Crisis Group; Sadako Ogata, President, Japan International Cooperation Agency and former UN High Commissioner for Refugees; and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and former Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa. Relevant correspondence, meeting materials, and notes span from 2005 to 2010 and are grouped according to “landmarks” of the group, particularly Advisory Committee meetings. The folder is divided into nine subsections, and each folder contains correspondence with committee members pertaining to the topic of the folder as well as unrelated correspondence from that time period. Of particular interest is Hamburg’s correspondence with Desmond Tutu; the correspondence with Tutu grouped into the Advisory Committee folder is on a range of topics not limited to the United Nations: 2005 - Fall 2006: Appointment and First Meeting of the Advisory Committee; Fall - Winter 2006: October Meeting of the Advisory Committee; Fall 2006 - Spring 2007: Pre-Deng Appointment; Spring - Summer 2007: Appointment of Francis Deng; Spring - Fall 2007: September 2007 Meeting of the Advisory Committee; Winter 2007 - Early 2008: Consolidation of OSAPG; Spring 2008 - Early 2009: October 2008 Advisory Committee Meeting; June 2008 Meeting with UN Departments and Agencies; 2009-2010: Misc Correspondence and DAH Resignation. Hamburg’s memos to committee members provide a sense of each landmark and the progress being made with the establishment of the OSAPG. The memos dated 3/29/2006, 5/17/2006, 6/01/2006, and 8/17/2006 relate to the establishment of the committee and the first meeting. Memos dated 9/25/2006, 10/23/2006, and 12/26/2006 relate to the second meeting of the Committee and the submission of the group’s main report to the Secretary-General that included recommendations for the role of the Special Adviser and the Advisory Committee at the UN. That report is in the Fall-Winter 2006 folder entitled Meeting Materials. Memos dated 12/26/2006, 1/16/2007, 1/23/2007, 2/26/2007, 3/02/2007, 3/13/2007, and 4/09/2007 report on Hamburg’s meetings with the Secretary-General and his key staff and the progress being made in fulfilling the recommendations of the Advisory Committee report prior to the appointment of Francis Deng. Hamburg’s memos dated 5/29/2007, 5/30/3007, and 8/15/2007 announce the appointment of Francis Deng. Memos dated 7/03/2007, 10/02/2007, 10/15/2007, and 10/31/2007 relate to the planning and follow-up activities for the meeting of the Advisory Committee in September 2007. Meeting materials are included in the Spring-Fall 2007 folder. Memos dated 5/27/2008, 8/20/2008, 10/20/2008, 11/14/2008, 1/14/2009, and 2/02/2009 concern the meeting of the Advisory Committee in October 2008 and its follow-up. The final memo provides a copy of the AC report (grouped into the Meeting Materials and Report folder). The announcement of Hamburg’s resignation is noted in the report. Hamburg’s final memo to the committee is dated 6/04/2010 and reports on the Secretary-General’s determinations regarding the future of the OSAPG and the Advisory Committee. He attaches a letter from the Secretary-General on this subject. Hamburg writes, "….One of the decisions states that “The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide (SAPG) and the Special Adviser (SASG) who works on implementing the Responsibility to Protect will complete their work to establish a Joint Office on the Prevention of Genocide and the Promotion of the Responsibility to Protect.” The Secretary-General also decided that “The Advisory Committee on the Prevention of Genocide will be given a new mandate, title, and composition to reflect the broader concerns of the Joint Office. Its role will be one of advocacy and awareness-raising worldwide.” The two Special Advisers have been directed by the Secretary-General to carry out pertinent consultations and make recommendations for the recomposition of the Committee. Francis Deng remains in close contact with me and I believe that both Special Advisers will maintain close consultations with us on plans for the new Advisory Committee..."