Lara Kajs is a field-based author, investigator, and speaker whose work focuses on atrocity crimes, forced displacement, and violations of international humanitarian and international law. Drawing on years of on-the-ground experience in conflict and post-conflict settings, including Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan, her talks examine how patterns of violence emerge, how international law is applied and undermined in practice, and what prevention requires beyond rhetoric.
Kajs’ speaking engagements center on education and analysis rather than advocacy slogans, helping audiences better understand civilian protection, early warning indicators, ethical witnessing, and the lived realities of people navigating conflict and displacement. Her work bridges field experience with legal and policy frameworks, offering grounded insight into how atrocity crimes unfold—and what meaningful prevention demands from institutions, communities, and individuals alike.
Lara Kajs has served as the Founder and Executive Director of The Genocide Report for more than a decade. Her work draws on extensive field-based engagement in conflict and displacement settings, including research and investigations related to crimes against humanity, war crimes, and civilian protection. She has worked in and around active and post-conflict contexts in the Middle East, South Asia, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia, examining patterns of forced displacement, state violence, and violations of international humanitarian and international law. This experience informs her speaking and writing, which focus on atrocity prevention, ethical witnessing, and the real-world application of international law.
Drawing on years of field-based experience and engagement with international humanitarian and human rights law, Kajs’ work emphasizes that sustainable peace and security cannot be achieved through force alone. Her speaking consistently returns to the importance of law, cooperation, and civilian protection as foundations for prevention and stability. As she often notes, “You cannot bomb your way to peace and security. Peace is a constant process—it takes collaboration, cooperation, and conversation.”
Speaking Topics
Talk #1
Leadership, Law, and Decision-Making Under Fire
Drawing on field experience in active conflict settings, this talk examines how leadership, communication, and ethical decision-making function under extreme pressure. Using real-world examples from civilian protection contexts, Kajs explores what it means to lead responsibly when legal norms are under strain, information is incomplete, and lives are at risk.
Suited for:
Corporate leadership • Executive retreats • Public sector • Crisis management
Talk #2
Why “Never Again” Keeps Failing — and What Prevention Actually Requires
This talk examines the promise and persistent failure of “Never Again,” tracing how genocide prevention has too often been reduced to remembrance rather than action. Drawing on international law, early warning indicators, and field experience, Kajs explores what meaningful prevention requires — and why education, legal literacy, and civilian protection remain essential tools.
Suited for:
Universities • Holocaust & genocide remembrance events • Policy audiences • Public lectures
Talk #3
Ethical Witnessing: Responsibility Without Appropriation
This talk challenges the idea of “speaking for” others and instead explores ethical witnessing, solidarity, and responsibility. Kajs examines how individuals, institutions, and communities can respond to injustice without erasing agency — and why education, attention, and restraint matter as much as action.
Suited for:
Commencements • Faith communities • NGOs • Corporate ethics programs
Selected Speaker Feedback
“I learned more about conflict and displacement in one hour than I have from any other source. Lara Kajs has a remarkable ability to bring complex realities into focus.”
— Jessie, Tulane University
“Lara Kajs spoke for an hour with clarity, depth, and command. Her presentation was thoughtful, engaging, and grounded in real experience.”
— Doug, Utah State University
For speaking engagements and inquiries: Stephanie Marcum