Sec. 5. Mass Atrocities Task Force
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The President shall instruct the Secretary to establish a Mass Atrocities Task Force (referred to in this section as the Task Force ) with the mandate— to strengthen the Department of State’s efforts at atrocity prevention and response; and to assist other departments and agencies in their efforts to do the same. The Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, or another position of equivalent rank, shall serve as the Chair of the Task Force and shall report to the Secretary.
Under the direction of the Chair, the Task Force shall— meet regularly to ensure that atrocity crimes and the risk of atrocity crimes throughout the world are adequately considered and addressed; facilitate the development and execution of policies and tools to enhance the capacity of the United States to prevent and respond to atrocity crimes worldwide; monitor developments throughout the world that heighten the risk of atrocity crimes; analyze and closely review specific atrocity crimes threats or situations of heightened concern; identify any gaps in United States foreign policy concerning regions or particular countries related to atrocity crimes prevention and response; incorporate lessons learned from past United States Government efforts to prevent and respond to atrocity crimes; provide the Secretary with recommendations and potential improvements to policies, programs, resources, and tools related to atrocity crimes prevention and response; coordinate the Department of State’s engagement in interagency processes led by the National Security Council that share the Task Force’s objectives; conduct outreach, including consultations, not less frequently than biannually, with representatives of nongovernmental organizations dedicated to atrocity crimes prevention and response and other appropriate parties— to receive assistance for the Task Force’s efforts to address emerging atrocity crimes threats or situations and develop new or improved policies and tools; and to provide an appropriate public understanding of the work of the Task Force; in carrying out paragraphs
(1)through (9), focus on particular ways for the United States Government to develop, strengthen, and enhance its capabilities to— monitor, receive early warning of, and coordinate responses to potential atrocity crimes; deter and isolate perpetrators of atrocity crimes through all available authorities; promote criminal accountability and deny impunity for perpetrators of atrocity crimes within the United States and throughout the world; engage allies and partners, including the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect and other multilateral and regional institutions, to build capacities and mobilize action for preventing and responding to atrocity crimes; encourage the deployment of civilian advisors to prevent and respond to atrocity crimes; increase capacity and develop doctrine for the United States Foreign Service, civil service, Armed Forces, development professionals, and other actors to engage in the full spectrum of atrocity crimes prevention and response activities; develop and implement tailored foreign assistance programs that address and mitigate the risks of atrocity crimes; ensure intelligence collection, analysis, and sharing of appropriate information; and address any other issues that the Task Force determines to be appropriate; and in carrying out paragraphs
(1)through (9), receive support from— the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations; the Office of Global Criminal Justice; the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs; the Bureau of International Organization Affairs; and other bureaus and offices of the Department of State, as appropriate. The Task Force shall— seek to ensure that its efforts complement and support interagency processes led by the National Security Council that share the Task Force’s objectives; and operate with regular consultation and participation of designated representatives, at the Assistant Secretary level or higher, of— the Department of State; the United States Agency for International Development; the Department of Defense; the Department of Justice; the Department of the Treasury; the Department of Homeland Security; the Central Intelligence Agency; the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; the United States Mission to the United Nations; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the National Security Council; and such other executive departments, agencies, or offices as the Chair may designate. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and every three years thereafter for the following six years, the Secretary, in consultation with the Task Force, shall submit an unclassified report, with a classified annex if necessary, to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate , the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate , the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives , and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives that includes— a review, in consultation with the representatives listed in subsection (d), consisting of— an evaluation of the efficacy of current efforts based on United States and locally identified indicators, including capacities and constraints for Government-wide detection, early warning and response, information-sharing, contingency planning, and coordination of efforts to prevent and respond to situations of atrocity crimes and other mass violence, such as gender-based violence; an assessment of the funding expended by relevant Federal agencies on atrocity crimes prevention activities, including transitional justice measures and the legal, procedural, and resource constraints faced by the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development throughout respective budgeting, strategic planning, and management cycles to support conflict and atrocity crimes prevention activities in countries identified to be at risk of atrocity crimes; current annual global assessments of sources of instability, conflict, and atrocity crimes; recommendations to further strengthen United States capabilities described in subparagraph (A); and consideration of analysis, reporting, and policy recommendations to prevent and respond to atrocity crimes produced by civil society, academic, and other nongovernmental organizations and institutions; recommendations to ensure shared responsibility by— enhancing multilateral mechanisms for preventing atrocity crimes, including strengthening the role of international organizations and international financial institutions in conflict prevention, mitigation, and response; and strengthening regional organizations; and the implementation status of the recommendations contained in the review described in paragraph (1). The Chair and members of the Task Force shall annually (or more often as appropriate)— provide briefings to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives ; and provide briefings and materials, as appropriate, to the relevant congressional committees. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2018, 2019, and 2020 to carry out this section.