John Prendergast
John Prendergast
John Prendergastis an American human rights activist, author, and former Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council. He is the Founding Director of the Enough Project, a nonprofit human rights organization affiliated with the Center for American Progress. Prendergast is a board member and serves as Strategic Advisor to Not On Our Watch Project. He is a member of the faculty and Advisory Board of the International Peace and Security Institute...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionActivist
Date of Birth21 March 1963
CountryUnited States of America
Wars can be resolved. Human rights atrocities can be stopped. We just have to apply the right policies.
The biggest road block to action on genocide and other human rights crimes is ignorance. Most people just don't know that such things are happening, and often, if they have a vague idea they are happening, there is a feeling that there is nothing that can be done to stop these crimes.
Through my years of working on war and peace in Africa, I have learned that there are solutions to some of the greatest human rights challenges, and we all can be a part of those solutions.
I see courage everywhere I go in Africa. Fearless human rights activists in Darfur. Women peace advocates in eastern Congo. Former child soldiers in Northern Uganda who now are helping other former child soldiers return to civilian life.
A government-made hurricane hit Darfur ... using these Janjaweed militias, ... And the human debris has washed up on the shores of Chad.
In human rights and peacemaking, it's really about having a solid concrete goal - the reduction of human suffering somewhere in the world - and then doing what is required to get that goal achieved.
I spent a lot of time with President Mandela supporting his efforts in the peace process in Burundi. The thing that impressed me the most was his humility.
Early adopters of digital cameras most often printed at home, if they printed at all - there weren't many options yet available or convenient. Now the infrastructure to get digital prints at retail is in place and consumers are adopting this behavior more quickly, ... As the quality, functionality and ease-of-use of camera phones improve, we see users gravitating to the service, quality and cost-effectiveness of the retail destination.
Every time we have offered incentives to the government of Sudan, they've pocketed those incentives and continued on with their policies.
Most Americans may not realize that the news they consume is driven in part by the media mantra, 'if it bleeds, it leads.'
When I was 19 years old, I hitchhiked across the country to San Francisco.
'Unlikely Brothers' talks about the importance of citizen action and shows why and how we can make a difference.
Having a strong African leader, with the confidence of regional governments, who's backed by high-level envoys from countries that matter
I've had a number of near misses during my travels that in retrospect seem of greater concern than they did at the time. I guess that is what happens with age.