On November 28 and 29, the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR), the Office of the Ombudsman of Ecuador, the Stanley Foundation, and the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide (OSAPG), co-organized the VII Focal Points Meeting of the Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention in Quito, Ecuador. As with previous editions, the VII Focal Points Meeting served as an opportunity to promote collaborative efforts between member states, introduce new topics, and facilitate the continuation of major projects towards the consolidation of the Latin American Network. Specifically, this Focal Points Meeting addressed the progress of, and challenges related to, long-term projects being carried out within the context of the Network as well as initiatives carried out on the national level by member states, and represented an opportune moment to take significant steps towards the progressive consolidation of this regional space. Within the framework of the meeting, the Network's Focal Points moved to issue an official joint message with respect to the [International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime](http://www.un.org/en/events/genocidepreventionday/). Please find the statement's text reproduced below:
> Sharing the spirit of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution which established December 9 as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, the **Latin American Network for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention**, assembled on the occasion of its VII periodic meeting in the city of Quito, reiterates its conviction that continuing work in prevention mobilizes continued reflection on past atrocities, honors victims and their family members, and strengthens commitments to reinforce and provide increasingly concrete actions in the human rights and atrocity prevention agendas.
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> Quito, Ecuador. November 29, 2016.-
