Lemkin Institute to Receive ANCA Eastern Region’s Inaugural Global Genocide Prevention Award

Trailblazing Human Rights Organization to Be Honored at October Gala in Washington, DC

October 2, 2025

WASHINGTON, DC — With deep pride, the Armenian National Committee Eastern Region announces that the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security is set to receive the very first Global Genocide Prevention Award at the 19th Annual ANCA-ER Gala.

The gala is scheduled to be held on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center in Washington, DC. Tickets for the Gala are available at: givergy.us/ancaer2025

The Global Genocide Prevention Award recognizes organizations and individuals whose work has significantly advanced international awareness, prevention, and accountability in the face of genocide and mass atrocities. This means centering human dignity, justice, and peace—especially for the most at-risk populations around the world, including the Armenian people.

This year, the ANCA Eastern Region is pleased to recognize the Lemkin Institute with this award for its courageous and principled leadership in bringing global attention to Azerbaijan’s genocide against Artsakh’s Armenian population. Furthermore, the ANCA Eastern Region notes the Institute’s ongoing efforts to secure the dignified and collective return of the forcibly displaced people of Artsakh and a lasting and just peace in the region.

“The Lemkin Institute has been unflinching in naming truth, sounding the alarm, and demanding accountability where too many others have been silent,” said Dr. Ara Chalian, Chair of the ANCA Eastern Region. “In honoring them with this award, we also affirm our own unshakable commitment to stand with Artsakh’s displaced, to work toward their safe and dignified return, to demand the release of Armenian prisoners, and to insist on justice in the face of war crimes and genocide.”

The Lemkin Institute’s clear-eyed analysis and urgent advocacy—guided by the international genocide prevention framework—have made a powerful impact in warning the world about the existential threats facing the Armenian people and other at-risk peoples. Too often, the international community and the institutions through which it collectively acts have been slow to respond to genocide and developing genocides. However, the Lemkin Institute has taken great lengths to try to change that.

Founded in 2017 in the wake of ISIS genocides in Iraq, the Lemkin Institute has taken up the mission of providing strong and immediate action to acute crises around the world through education, analysis and advocacy. This includes documenting genocide indicators, publishing reports, and otherwise holding power to account.

In addition to documenting the genocide indicators on display in Artsakh throughout the 2020s, the Lemkin Institute has also played a leading role in demanding the immediate release of Armenian prisoners unlawfully held by Azerbaijan and in calling for accountability for Azerbaijani war crimes, including the illegal detention and targeting of civilians and elected leaders. Taken altogether, the work of the Lemkin Institute stands as a moral beacon—calling the global community to action and refusing to let impunity take root, from Artsakh to beyond. The ANCA Eastern Region is delighted to honor such a worthy institution.

The ANCA Eastern Region Gala is the largest annual gathering of Armenian American grassroots advocates, community leaders, and public servants east of the Mississippi. It is an evening of tribute and recommitment—honoring those whose service advances the Cause and strengthens the voice of the Armenian people in the halls of power and across American life.

For more information, tickets, or sponsorship opportunities, please visit givergy.us/ancaer2025 or contact us at ancaer@anca.org.

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