A/HRC/27/24 B. Regional initiatives 40. Several delegates highlighted the importance of regional initiatives for the prevention of genocide. In the immediate aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda, the African Union had enshrined a number of objectives and principles in its Constitutive Act to prevent the recurrence of genocide on the continent. These included the promotion of peace, security and stability; the promotion and protection of human and peoples’ rights; respect for democratic principles, human rights, the rule of law and good governance; and the condemnation and rejection of impunity. The Ezulwini Consensus, of 2005, had further elaborated some of those objectives and principles. Moreover, in article 4 (h) of the Constitutive Act, African Union member States had endorsed the right of the Union to intervene in a member State pursuant to a decision of the Assembly in respect of grave circumstances, namely war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. 41. On the basis of the aforementioned principles, the African Union and subregional organizations had made significant progress towards developing mechanisms for the prevention of genocide. The African Peace and Security Architecture had been established to respond, in a timely and decisive manner, to situations of conflict on the continent, particularly those that could potentially lead to genocide. More significantly, the Architecture aimed to foster better understanding of ways to develop preventive action. Mechanisms such as the Peace and Security Council, the African Union’s early warning mechanisms, the African Standby Force and various African Union mediation efforts had enabled the continent to better respond to situations of conflict. In addition, through impartial and non-political judicial mechanisms, the African Union had adopted a firm position against impunity and in support of the need for accountability for heinous crimes. 42. At the subregional level, the Economic Community of West African States, the Southern African Development Community, the East African Community, the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development had all established instruments and mechanisms aimed at preventing and resolving conflicts, in particular those conflicts that could lead to genocide. 43. The European Union was working actively, at both the EU level and the international level, to prevent violent conflicts. It used various means, including the promotion and protection of human rights, and close collaboration with civil society. The European Union itself was a successful example of how regional organizations contributed to the prevention of mass atrocity crimes. It had developed instruments to address the root causes of conflict. It had also put into place an early warning system to identify risks of future conflict and to ensure a timely response. Several measures had contributed to translating R2P into practice, including (a) recommendations of the European Parliament to the European Council on the United Nations principle of the responsibility to protect, adopted in April 2013; (b) the enlargement of the European R2P focal point network; (c) the report on the capabilities of the European Union to prevent mass atrocities; and (d) the targeted training of national administrations sponsored by the Budapest Centre for the International Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities. 44. The Latin American Network for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities had been established in March 2012. The goal of the Network was to prevent future atrocities via the training of public officials. It acted as a regional forum, bringing together countries in the region to exchange good practice, information, development policies and preventive tools. The Network had been working in collaboration with the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, and with the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide within the United Nations. It was currently working on the development and implementation of a curriculum for the prevention of genocide. 11