Executive Order 13729: A Comprehensive Approach to Atrocity Prevention and Response
President: Barack Obama
Made prevention of mass atrocities a national-security priority and institutionalized an interagency Atrocities Prevention Board.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13729 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13729 remains unrevoked in the Federal Register disposition table. The State Department's 2022 atrocity-prevention strategy expressly identified it as remaining in effect; the later Elie Wiesel Act reinforced atrocity-prevention policy rather than revoking the order. Sources: Office of the Federal Register: current 2016 executive order disposition table; Executive Order 13729: signed text; State Department: 2022 atrocity-prevention strategy; Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, January 14, 2019.
What does Executive Order 13729 do?
EO 13729 directed agencies to identify, prevent and respond to genocide and mass atrocities through early warning, diplomacy, sanctions, justice, assistance and other lawful tools. It institutionalized an interagency board and required training and reporting. Congress later made atrocity prevention a statutory policy in the 2018 Elie Wiesel Act. The order remains unrevoked, although the board’s name, placement and priorities may change between administrations.
Before and after
Before the order
The Atrocities Prevention Board existed as an administration initiative without this durable executive-order footing.
After the order
Agencies received standing prevention, training and coordination responsibilities later backed by statute.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Interagency board | Assess risks coordinate responses and report | Continuing in current form |
| State Department and USAID | Lead diplomacy assistance and training | Continuing |
| Intelligence community | Support early warning and assessment | Continuing |
What happened next
EO 13729 institutionalized the framework.
The Elie Wiesel Act became law.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Elie Wiesel Act, foreign-assistance statutes, sanctions laws and constitutional allocations of war and foreign-affairs powers constrain action.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- Congress.gov — Elie Wiesel Act (opens in a new tab) Official record
- State Department — atrocity prevention (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 15, 2026. How we research →