The Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities (AIPG) has been given £1m by the Jo Cox Memorial Grant to use on preventing “identity-based violence” in Africa.

The grant was named in honour of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was killed in June 2016 by a far-right activist. It is awarded by the Department for International Development as part of its UK Aid programme.

The grant was developed in cooperation with the Jo Cox Foundation.

The cash will “enable AIPG to deliver key training to civil society leaders and government officials through the end of 2022”, AIPG said in a statement.

The project aims to educate and equip stakeholders across Africa’s Great Lakes region to “recognise the warning signs of mass atrocities and respond to them before they can escalate”.

The Great Lakes region encompasses countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya.  

Tibi Galis, the Executive Director of AIPG, said that “more than 70 years after the Holocaust, genocide and other mass atrocities remain a constant threat.

“This grant will enable us to build stability in vulnerable areas of Africa and achieve our primary objective of training public officials in genocide and mass atrocity prevention by reducing the risk of identity-based violence,” she continued.

The grant will enable the Auschwitz Institute to run 12 schemes across the Great Lakes region of Africa, including community programmes and the formation of “national committees to prevent mass atrocities”.

Owen Pell, AIPG President and partner of counsel at White & Case, a law firm that provides legal counsel to AIPG, said in a statement that the money would enable the Auschwitz Institute to “make a huge and immediate impact to communities currently at risk”.