Episode 44: Abiodun Williams

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), this year we are featuring a special series of interviews with experts, practitioners, academics and civil society and human rights defenders who will reflect on conceptual and operational development of R2P over the past two decades, as well as the impact of R2P and atrocity prevention on their work. In this episode, we sat down with Dr. Abiodun Williams, Professor of the Practice of International Politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. As the former Director of Strategic Planning for UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon, he explores Secretary-General Annan’s pivotal role in the early development and implementation of R2P, emphasizing the influence of personal commitment on these efforts. Dr. Willams also highlights the contributions of non-Western states to the promotion of R2P and shares his perspective on the future of atrocity prevention in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.