2017 Victories: ACLJ’s Advocacy Pushes U.N. to Take Steps to Recognize ISIS’s “Genocide”

This is the latest installment in a year-end series looking back at a few of the numerous victories by the ACLJ in 2017.

After years of relentless work behind the scenes and on the world stage, the ACLJ’s persistent advocacy – backed by your unrelenting voice –has culminated in a unanimous U.N. Security Council resolution specifically addressing ISIS’s “genocide.”

Four and a half years ago, the Islamic State (ISIS) formed and began its reign of genocidal terror in Syria and Iraq. During that time, the ACLJ has been working relentlessly to draw attention to the plight of and secure vital protection for persecuted Christians in Iraq and Syria through our international legal advocacy campaign’s simple, two-part clarion call to: 1) recognize the genocide and 2) protect Christians and other religious minorities.

As part of this campaign, we wrote letters to the U.N. Secretary-General, the U.N. Security Council, Iraq, the U.K., and the U.N. Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, as well as many other world leaders. The U.K. and the U.N. Special Advisor for the Prevention of Genocide responded to our legal letters, working behind the scenes and sharing our policy proposals with key leaders. The result was the unanimous passage of the U.N. Security Council’s Resolution 2379.

This U.N. action is the first step toward recognizing the genocide against Christians via the collection of evidence. This evidence will later be used to bring to justice the perpetrators of the heinous and genocidal acts that have been committed against Christians and others. In addition, some of the world leaders we wrote have responded by either formally recognizing ISIS atrocities as genocide like in Austria, or effectively furthering the discussion at the highest levels of their respective governments as we have seen in the U.K. and the Philippines.

Much has been accomplished, but our work is not done. We are expanding our legal advocacy campaign for Christians facing genocide. With your support, we will not stop fighting until, together, we are able to stop the genocide and protect Christians.

To help the ACLJ continue to have the resources we need to make these victories possible and continue these fights, please consider making a Tax-Deductible donation to the ACLJ through our year-end Matching Challenge. Your gift will be DOUBLED dollar-for-dollar through the end of the year.

You can read more in the ACLJ’s 2017 Victories series here.

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