Our Programs
Awareness
Art exhibits, protests, webinars, and other activities are powerful tools for raising awareness about genocide, preventing future atrocities, and affirming the right of all people to exist.
Through art, we can express the human experience of genocide and its aftermath, and through protests, we can demand action from governments and individuals.
Webinars provide a platform for education and discussion, allowing us to learn from experts and survivors.
These activities also serve as a reminder that we must never forget the victims of genocide and work tirelessly to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
Education
Genocide is a dark part of human history, and it's crucial that the public understands its significance.
By learning about past genocides, we can identify the warning signs and prevent similar atrocities from happening in the future.
AGVC plans to provide valuable resources and information on their experiences of genocide, including its effects on victims and society as a whole.
The goal is to increase awareness, empathy, and understanding so that we can build a better, more inclusive future.
Accountability
Genocide is a heinous crime that has resulted in the loss of millions of innocent lives throughout history.
To prevent such atrocities from happening in the future, it is essential that those who commit genocide are held accountable for their actions.
AGVC will actively advocate and assist in the various ways we can achieve this goal, including legal mechanisms and international tribunals.
By exploring these avenues, we can ensure that the memory of victims is honoured and that justice is served.
AGVC 2023-2025
Not Forgotten: Genocide and Creative Resistance | September 2025
In a moving gathering of art, testimony, and solidarity, this event brought together survivors, artists, and advocates to resist suppression and amplify stories of resilience across multiple communities. Through poetry, song, visual art, and personal narratives, the event honoured the lived experiences of those impacted by genocide and underscored the enduring power of culture as resistance.
Participants from Rohingya, Hazara, Tibetan, Uyghur, and Tigrayan communities shared testimony of loss, survival, and unyielding hope. A special focus of the program was the commemoration of September 25 as Hazara Genocide Memorial Day, affirming the Canadian parliamentary recommendation and calling for full recognition of the Hazara genocide.
Political and academic voices emphasized that recognition must be matched by action—and that art, memory, and creativity are essential tools in the struggle for justice.
Creative Resistance advanced AGVC’s mission by:
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Awareness: making visible experiences too often silenced or dismissed
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Education: deepening public understanding of genocide as an ongoing, lived reality
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Accountability: strengthening calls for institutional, legal, and political responses
We invite you to flip through photos of the event.
Genocide Prevention 25
A Genocide Remembrance, Prevention and Condemnation Event
March 30th 2025- April 30th 2025
In a world where the shadows of past genocides linger and the threat of new atrocities looms, we, the Alliance of Genocide Victim Communities stand united in our commitment to remembrance, justice, and prevention. The "Genocide Prevention 25" conference, seminar and art exhibit serves as a clarion call to confront the enduring impact of genocide on communities within Canada and to forge a path toward a future free from such horrors.
Reverberate: A Genocide Prevention Conference | Sunday, March 30th, University of Ottawa.
This was a survivor-led conference held in Ottawa in March 2025 as the central convening of Genocide Prevention 25, an interconnected, multi-component initiative of the Alliance of Genocide Victim Communities.
The conference brought together genocide affected communities, leading human rights experts, legal scholars, educators, advocates, and members of the public to confront the ongoing impacts of genocide and to advance strategies for prevention, justice, and healing. The program centred on the leadership and lived experience of communities impacted by genocide, including the Tigrayan, Uyghur, Hazara, Tamil, Tibetan, and Tutsi peoples.
Survivor testimony and community led panels were complemented by expert contributions from Dr Gregory Stanton, founder of Genocide Watch, the Honourable Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice and Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Professor John Packer, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa and former United Nations official, David Matas, international human rights lawyer, and Sarah Teich, Director of Research and Advocacy at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.
Through keynote addresses, expert presentations, survivor-led panels, and facilitated dialogue, participants examined the long-term impacts of genocide, including intergenerational trauma, displacement, cultural destruction, denial, and impunity. Sessions also explored concrete pathways toward prevention and accountability, addressing the responsibilities of states, international institutions, and civil society, as well as Canada’s role in responding to ongoing and emerging atrocities.
Reverberate emphasized forward-looking, action-oriented approaches to genocide prevention through education, policy reform, legal accountability, and cross-community collaboration. Trauma-informed practices and mental health support were integrated throughout, ensuring a space that was both intellectually rigorous and grounded in care.
Art Exhibit Echoes of Resilience: A Tapestry of Survival, | Sunday, March 30th - Wednesday, April 30th, 2025. University of Ottawa.
This collection brought together works by 13 artists and collectives from genocide affected communities, including the Tigrayan, Uyghur, Hazara, Tamil, Tibetan, and Tutsi peoples. Through painting, photography, textiles, mixed media, and documentary materials, the exhibit offered visitors a space for reflection on memory, identity, resilience, and cultural survival. The artwork served both as a memorial to lives and cultures targeted by genocide and as a call for deeper public engagement with the ongoing impacts of mass atrocity crimes. By integrating art into our awareness and education efforts, Echoes of Resilience advanced AGVC’s mission to raise visibility, honour survivor voices, and inspire collective action for justice and prevention.
Justice, Human Rights and Human Dignity on the Horizon, A Parliamentary Seminar. | Monday, March 31st | 10 AM - 11 AM ET | University of Ottawa.
Through a survivor-informed roundtable process, participants examined Canada’s responsibilities under international law and developed eleven joint policy recommendations addressing genocide prevention, accountability, sanctions, forced labour, transnational repression, and survivor protection. The seminar strengthened cross-community collaboration and translated testimony into concrete action, reinforcing AGVC’s commitment to bridging survivor knowledge with policy engagement and democratic participation.
February 2025 | Joint Statement and Parliamentary Press Conference
The Alliance of Genocide Victim Communities, in collaboration with other human rights organizations, issued a joint statement in response to the findings of Canada's foreign interference inquiry, highlighting the need for Canada to support and protect victims of transnational repression from various communities like the Uyghur, Tibetan, Hongkonger, Falun Gong, Tigrayan, Eritrean, Cuban, and Tamil communtiies. The statement underscored the importance of a comprehensive strategy to address transnational repression.
AGVC facilitator Joanne M Hodges read a statement at a parliamentary press conference highlighting the coalition's findings.
AGVC member and the Executive Director of Canada Tibet Committe Sherap Therchin conveyed a powerful message about the personal cost of inaction.
Rising Together| A Genocide Prevention Day Webinar Dec 9th 2024
Parliamentary E-Petition | April 22nd - May 22nd 2024 AGVC’s first e-petition collected 703 signatures in one month, and requested that Canada: impose sanctions on foreign nationals responsible for human rights violations; conduct a thorough review of the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act to address any issues hindering the prosecution of war criminals; and provide resettlement opportunities in Canada for victims of genocide.
April 2024 | Voices for Justice: Empowering Change to Remember, Condemn, and Prevent Genocide
This was an event in parliament to mark Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month. and was jointly hosted by the Alliance of Genocide Victim Communities and the Montreal Institute for Genocide Studies. Experts and community representatives outlined requests by genocide survivors to the Canadian Government, highlighting the urgent need to address the active genocides against the Uyghur, Hazara, and Tigrayan people and underlined the need for justice to ensure lasting peace in historical genocides like the Tamil, Tibetan, and Tutsi genocide.
December 2023 - January 2025 | Foreign Interference Inquiry
AGVC has standing at the ongoing Foreign Interference Inquiry in Canada. Members and communities affiliated with our alliance have been actively contributing to the inquiry, participating by submitting documentation and providing testimony, thereby playing a meaningful role in the proceedings.
International Conference on Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity | December 2023
The Alliance of Genocide Victim Communities played a critical role in partnering with Northern Justice Watch to bring together a distinguished group of panelists for a three-day conference held in Toronto. The event featured renowned experts, including David Matas, Alex Neve, Mukesh Kapila, Sarah Teich, Ewelina Ochab, Mark Kersten, and Sameer Zuberi, who discussed a range of topics related to genocide and justice. Additionally, one of our AGVC members, Sherap Therchin, delivered a presentation on the situation in Tibet, while another member, Joanne Hodges, moderated a panel and presented on the formation of the Alliance of Genocide Victim Communities. The conference was attended by numerous UofT students and was live-streamed on YouTube, receiving excellent feedback for its informative presentations and meaningful networking opportunities.
Cyber Security Workshop - shared learning | May 2023
AGVC facilitated a shared learning opportunity by organizing a Cyber Security Workshop, inviting leaders and members from all of our allied communities to participate. The workshop, focused on cyber security and digital surveillance, was hosted by C4ADS, providing valuable insights and knowledge-sharing for all attendees.
August 2023 - December 2023 | Collective Memory, Collective Action
In our first year AGVC made it a priority to ensure that each community within the Alliance was well-informed, up-to-date, and equipped with knowledge about each other's genocide experiences. To achieve this, we organized and facilitated a series of internal educational seminars titled, "Collective Memory, Collective Action: Understanding the Genocide Stories of AGVC." During these sessions, each allied community was given the opportunity to share their experiences, dedicating 2-3 hours to explaining their unique journey and answering questions from other communities.
April 2023 | Press conference, paper petition and March to END Genocide
In April 2023, AGVC organized its inaugural events, which included the launch of a paper petition, a press conference with Sameer Zuberi and Garnett Genius at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and a March to End Genocide in Toronto. This significant milestone marked the first time that representatives from the Uyghur, Tigrayan, Tibetan, Tutsi and Tamil communities collaborated to organize and participate in an event together.