We Speak Because They Can Not – Voices to be Heard.
Panel discussion organized by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the United Nations. Equal justice for all Bosnia and Herzeg
There were more than 100.000 victims on all sides, as well as the perpetrators of the crimes on all sides. For the families of victims, it is still difficult for their voices to be heard and recognized.
The participants in the discussion are the Serbs who experienced and witnessed horrific crimes and have suffered immensely for three decades. They have been begging for the truth and justice for 29 years and this discussion is an opportunity for them to share their testimonies. They best understand the pain of all the other victims and their families – regardless of whether they are Bosniaks, Croats or fellow-Serbs.
Watch the "We Speak Because They Can Not – Voices to be Heard''!
Panel discussion: Memorialization of genocide: Justice, truth, healing - Case study Srebrenica.
This panel discussion (with Bosnian-English interpretation) aims to delve into the multifaceted dimensions and importance of memorializing g
This panel discussion (with Bosnian-English interpretation) aims to delve into the multifaceted dimensions and importance of memorializing genocide, with a particular focus on the Srebrenica genocide, not least in light of the proposed draft resolution on designating 11 July as International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.
The war that followed the breakup of the former Yugoslavia claimed more than 100,000 lives in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995, mostly of Bosnian Muslims, and displaced more than two million others. The list of atrocities committed during that time is overwhelming, but Srebrenica, without a doubt, became its darkest chapter. Previously declared as the UN "safe area," 8,372 women, men, and children were systematically executed in July 1995 in and around the town of Srebrenica, the largest atrocity on European soil since the Second World War, adjudicated as genocide by international courts. It stands as a harrowing reminder of the consequences of unchecked ethnic hatred and political failure.
Remembering is a basic human instinct, and memory cannot be imprisoned—it will usually come out in one form or another. The challenge is to find ways to harness memory to learn lessons from the past to avoid repeating it.
Memorialization is a process that satisfies the desire to honor those who suffered or died during the conflict, to examine the past, and to address contemporary issues. The memorialization of genocide rests at the complex intersection of justice, truth, and healing for affected communities and the global collective conscience. It can either promote social recovery after violent conflict ends or crystallize a sense of victimization, injustice, discrimination, and the desire for revenge. It is important to be firmly based on judicial determination, as memorialization can also be shaped by those in power in a highly political process.
Concept note
Watch the Panel discussion: Memorialization of genocide: Justice, truth, healing - Case study Srebrenica
The event will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Genocide Convention by:
I) Showcasing its legacy and impact at the international, regional and national levels.
II) Demonstrating its continued relevance as a tool for prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide and showcasing positive examples of champions of prevention working in the fields of prevention, protection and accountability for genocide.
The word “genocide” was first coined by Polish lawyer Raphäel Lemkin in 1944 in his book Axis Rule in Occupied Europe. It consists of the Gr
On the eve of International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, 9 December, we looked at the origin of the word. Mr. Lemkin developed the term partly in response to the Nazi policies of systematic murder of Jewish people during the Holocaust, but also in response to previous instances in history of targeted actions aimed at the destruction of particular groups of people.
75th Anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide.
This year's event to mark the 75th anniversary of the Genocide Convention will seek to highlight achievements that emanate from the Convention, showcasing its legacy, and also reflect on the challenges that remain for its effective implementation.
Friday, December 8th, from 1100 to 100 PM EST at the United Nations Trusteeship Chamber UNHQ
This year's event to mark the 75th anniversary of the Genocide Convention will seek to highlight achievements that emanate from the Conventi
This year's event to mark the 75th anniversary of the Genocide Convention will focus on the theme of "A Living Force in World Society: The Legacy of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide" . It will seek to highlight some of the achievements that emanate from the Convention, showcasing its legacy and reminding of the efforts which led to its drafting and adoption. The event will also reflect on the challenges that remain for its effective implementation. Genocide is still a threat in the world today. Around the world, populations remain at risk of this crime. The need to invest in prevention as envisaged by the Convention drafters 75 years ago remains as relevant as ever. The event, therefore, will also seek to showcase the work of champions of prevention and their tireless efforts to protect populations from the scourge of genocide. The event will build upon a series of expert consultations and meetings convened by the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in the lead up to the 9 December event, as well as an info-campaign from the UN archives, which seek to explore in detail the impact of the Convention in the fields of accountability, protection and prevention.
Every 9 December, the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide marks the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide – a crucial global commitment that was made at the founding of the United Nations, immediately preceding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By General Assembly Resolution A/RES/69/323 of 29 September 2015, that day also became the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
Remarks by the High Representative for UNAOC at the Side Event to the 75th Anniversary of the Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide: “The Role of Religious Communities in Upholding and Implementing the Genocide Convention”.
Your Excellency, Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser of the United Nations Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide;
Ms. Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Secretary-General of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance;
Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky, Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies Emeritus at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America;
Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi, Executive Director of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers;
Ms. Debra Boudreaux, Chief Executive Officer of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation;
Mr. Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, General Secretary at ACT Alliance;
Excellencies and distinguished guests,
The 75th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crimes of Genocide is an apt time to commemorate the victims of the crime of genocide, to recall the robust commitment to multilateralism that was required for the global community to codify the crime of genocide into international law, and to take stock of efforts to prevent it.
Over the past two months, the plea for Humanity has been revibrating in speeches and comments made by political leaders, faith actors and ordinary people.
Humanity is the exact opposite of atrocities perpetrated by state or non-state actors.
Genocide is a testament that the perpetrators are stripped of their of their humanity. They have no moral compass.
It is an unfortunate truism that the Genocide Convention remains highly relevant seven-and-a-half decades after it was unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly.
Indeed, the 75th Anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide is approaching at an especially somber and tumultuous juncture in human history.
An alarming wave of antisemitic, anti-Muslim hatred and anti-Arab bigotry and hate has been unleashed around the world since the eruption of the situation in the Middle East.
These incidents included hate speech, harassment, intimidation, damage to personal property, the desecration of places of worship, death threats, and, most tragically, the murder of innocent people on the sheer account of their origin or faith.
All these manifestations are utterly rejected and cannot and should not be justified.
During this most recent spike in religious intolerance, some have falsely and maliciously invoked religion to aggravate misconceptions, fuel divisions, and sow fear and hatred.
This unacceptable upsurge in hate is an affront to the premises and spirit that led to the Genocide Convention and the principles and values on which the United Nations and organizations such as UNAOC are founded.
Distinguished delegates,
Seventy-five years ago, the nations of the world united in an unprecedented, at the time, demonstration of resolute and inspired multilateral action to support the first human rights treaty to be adopted by the United Nations — the Genocide Convention.
The Genocide Convention signified the international community’s resolve that the atrocities committed during the Second World War would never happen again.
This was without a doubt a remarkable and noble achievement and one worthy of commemoration. But we must not take for granted that the Genocide Convention and its principles will be promoted, protected, and implemented in the absence of the unwavering and active commitment of all of us.
In fact, we must remain as steadfast as ever in our efforts to ensure —individually and collectively as one humanity — that the Genocide Convention is upheld. That is because, sadly, both collective and individual vigilance is still required to, as stated in the preamble to the international treaty, “liberate humankind from such an odious scourge”.
Following the unimaginable horror that unfolded in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, the world has let antisemitic, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and Islamophobic discrimination and other forms of hatred based on religion, race, ethnicity or nationality go unaddressed on too many occasions.
The tragic consequences of failing to confront this hatred in a meaningful and holistic way were on full display in Cambodia, Rwanda and Srebrenica in the former Yugoslavia.
Sadly, in the 75 years since the landmark Genocide Convention became general customary international law, we have seen just how catastrophic and disastrous it can be to allow dehumanizing language and other acts of dehumanization go unfettered.
We know dehumanizing acts can beget even worse acts, including genocide and other atrocity crimes.
At the same, we must exercise our diligence about how we use the term genocide because the term has frequently been misused of late in popular discourse. The legal definition of genocide is precise and the determination about whether or not genocide has occurred can only be made by competent international and/or national courts of law with the jurisdiction to try such cases following a rigorous investigation that meets appropriate international standards for due process.
That being said, it is incumbent on all of us to do everything in our power to prevent an escalation in the scale and intensity of violence against those targeted by hate, which means pushing back against every single attempt to target people because of their nationality, ethnicity, religion or race, or any other form of identity.
Not only must we counter intolerance, discrimination and hate to avert tragedy, we must at the same time do everything at our disposal to promote tolerance, dialogue and mutual understanding, which enable peaceful coexistence and harmony among all people.
Distinguished guests,
Promoting interfaith dialogue and partnerships, as well as countering hate crimes, are keys to UNAOC’s work to foster mutual respect and strengthen intercultural and interreligious understanding.
UNAOC is proud of providing a recognized global platform for interreligious and intercultural dialogue with the aim of bridging the cultural divides and building cohesive, inclusive and peaceful societies.
We have long recognized the crucial role played by religious leaders in calling out prejudices and hate speech targeting individuals or communities based on their religion or belief, ethnicity.
They have a role in promoting mutual respect, empathy and human dignity for all.
Let me emphasize that protection should be given to both believers and non-believers.
In this context, We have collaborated on the introduction and management of tools that actively encourage tolerance based on mutual respect, and promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue.
The UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites was developed by UNAOC and launched by the UN Secretary-General in 2019.
The Plan is rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN one day after the Genocide Convention and sets out the fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
The Plan advocates the sanctity of religious sites and safety of worshippers. It stresses the right of all believers to access holy sites and to practice their religious rituals and traditions freely, peacefully, and safely without fear or intimidation.
Attacks on places of worship and the perpetuation of hate against the faithful at their places of worship strike at the very core of a community’s sense of identity and belonging.
Equally important, is the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech developed by The office of the Special Advisor for Genocide Prevention . The Strategy and the Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites complement each other. And I am very pleased with the collaboration of our 2 offices and my personal engagement with the Special Advisor. .
I look forward to sharing the stage with religious leaders and faith actors who are here today, virtually and in person, to provide their own insights about how religious communities are upholding the legacy of the Genocide Convention.
In the meantime, I am reminded that the Torah encourages interreligious dialogue and cooperation by teaching us to accept others without prejudice or bias: “You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart. Reprove your kinsman, but incur no guilt because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:17-18)
According to the Holy Qur’an, God created nations and tribes “so that we might know one another. “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (Qur’an, 49:13)
Let us take inspiration from these and other examples from religious communities that remind us of our capacity to stand together as one human family — one humanity — rich in cultural and religious diversity, equal in dignity and rights, united in solidarity.
I thank you.
Remarks by the High Representative for UNAOC at the Side Event to the 75th Anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of
Acknowledging that victims of and others affected by the crime of genocide as defined in the Convention call for a form of memorialization, which plays an important role in the prevention of genocide.
Combating hate speech and incitement to violence in efforts to prevent atrocity crimes.
The Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Nderitu explains her mandate and the importance of combating hate speech and incitement to violence in efforts to prevent atrocity crimes.
Remarks of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide - Video message to Bangladesh national event on genocide prevention and commemoration of 1971 events.
The Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Nderitu explains her mandate and the importance of combatin
73rd anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Video message by António Guterres at the Commemoration of the 73rd anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Cri
Video message by António Guterres at the Commemoration of the 73rd anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
The voices of youth for a peaceful and inclusive world.
Panel discussion: "The voices of youth for a peaceful and inclusive world"
Commemoration of the 73rd anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime 2021.
Panel discussion: "The voices of youth for a peaceful and inclusive world." A Multi-stakeholder Online Forum organized by UNESCO and OSAPG on addressing hate speech through education. It will bring together government representatives, renowned scholars, teachers/educators, youth and human rights experts, technology companies and artists, to unpack the role of education vis-à-vis the hate speech phenomenon.
Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect
Commemoration of the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the Genocide Convention.
International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
As the world marks the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the Genocide Convention, young people in Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in Northern Iraq, warn that the world is in danger of facing further genocides.
In Rwanda, Gatari Egide, the President of GAERG, a Genocide Survivors Organization, says that young people need to be educated against the dangers of hate speech and inter-communal
violence. The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda destroyed a vast number of families.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, young leaders from the Bosniak and Serb communities take part in communal bridge-building, saying the older generations have failed to move on from past hostilities. Memories of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, when 8,000 men and boys
were killed by Bosnian Serb forces, are still fresh.
And in Northern Iraq, where the Yazidi community faced atrocity crimes from the ISIL terrorist group in 2014, hundreds of thousands are still displaced.
Samia Qassim Mulhem, a Yazidi Human Rights Activist, Poet and Educator, works with displaced children to provide them with psychological support.
December 9th has become the "International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime."
73rd anniversary of the Convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide.
The voices of youth for a peaceful and inclusive world.
On December 9th, The United Nations office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsability to protect have celebrated the 73rd anniversary of the Convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide.
The Convention signifies the international community’s commitment to “never again” and provides the first international legal definition of “genocide,” widely adopted at national and international levels. It also establishes a duty for State Parties to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.
2021 Virtual Event was held on 9 December 2021, from 11:00am to 1:00pm EST.
The event will feature opening remarks by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the General Assembly and Ms. Nderitu, Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, followed by an interactive dialogue moderated by Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Youth. Remarks will also be made by member states, representing regional groups.
Thursday, 9 December 2021, 11:00am - 1:00pm
The United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect cordially i
72nd anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
To mark the 72nd anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the International Day of Commem
To mark the 72nd anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
Focus on the role of mass media in preventing and addressing atrocities and the crime of genocide
On the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this
On the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime and the International Human Rights Day.
Whether print, broadcast or digital, various forms of media are vehicles of mass communication that can influence attitudes and actions. The United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech launched in 2019 seeks to address the spread of discriminatory messages, incitement to hostility or violence and various forms of hate speech and intolerance as precursors to atrocity crimes, while recognizing the challenges of the digital age and the new media.
Bridging human rights, communications, innovation and humanitarian agendas, the event focused on the role of mass media in preventing and addressing atrocities and the crime of genocide. Panelists examined the impact of mass media, in its traditional and new forms, such as print, film, broadcast, and digital in steering public discourse and compelling response, or, to the contrary, in contributing to passivity and inaction in the processes of atrocity crimes.
The primary responsibility to prevent and stop genocide lies with the State.
The Genocide Convention (article 2) defines genocide as "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group … ", including:
Killing members of the group;
Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
The Convention confirms that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or war, is a crime under international law which parties to the Convention undertake “to prevent and to punish” (article 1). The primary responsibility to prevent and stop genocide lies with the State.
The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the Genocide Convention and its role in combating and preventing the crime of genocide, as d
How the Genocide Convention’s Obligation to Prevent Applies to Myanmar?
Rohingya leaders and community members, legal analysts, researchers, and human rights institutions, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Museum), have long sounded the alarm about the serious risk of genocide against the Rohingya in Myanmar. These concerns stem from decades of violence and discrimination against the Rohingya population, which culminated in the Myanmar government’s 2016 and 2017 attacks on Rohingya civilians. Following these events, the Museum determined that there was compelling evidence that the Myanmar government had committed genocide against the Rohingya population. Despite international outcry, the Rohingya remain at serious risk of genocide today, as the United Nations’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (FFM) concluded in September 2019.
Myanmar has a binding legal obligation, as a party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Convention) and under customary international law, to prevent genocide. A case currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), The Gambia v. Myanmar, will determine whether Myanmar violated this obligation. In its January 23, 2020 order for provisional measures, the ICJ ordered Myanmar to, inter alia, “take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II [of the Genocide Convention]” and to submit regular reports to the Court on its progress.The Myanmar government is due to file its first report on May 23, 2020.
Despite the importance of this order, it does not identify the concrete measures Myanmar should take to comply with its obligation to prevent genocide. Indeed, the Convention itself does not elaborate on what the obligation to prevent genocide actually entails. Limited guidance can be found in the ICJ’s jurisprudence, however. In the 2007 Bosnia v. Serbia judgment, the ICJ held that: “a State’s obligation to prevent, and the corresponding duty to act, arise at the instant that the State learns of, or should normally learn of, the existence of a serious risk that genocide will be committed.” This suggests that, to uphold the Convention, States should identify and assess relevant risk factors in order to take all possible remedial actions to prevent genocide. Important as this guidance is, it leaves unanswered critical questions, namely:
Which risk factors have a causal link to genocide? How should States identify these factors?
How should States assess these factors in terms of a potential genocide?
How should States address and mitigate these risk factors?
This is the first in a series of reports from the Museum that will attempt to answer these important questions. This first report sets out the analytical framework that will be used to answer these important questions in subsequent reports. In reports that follow, which we will issue on a semiannual basis, the Museum will further explore:
● The importance of identifying genocide risk factors and early warning signs as part of the obligation to prevent genocide;
● The legal norms of international human rights and humanitarian law relevant to genocide;
● The causal relationship between the genocide risk factors and the different underlying acts of genocide laid out in the Convention, including the gender-related aspects of those risks; and
● Recommendations for specific actions that Myanmar should take to fulfill its obligation to prevent genocide.
By launching this report series, the Museum seeks to highlight the importance of genocide-related risk factors and early warning signs to the obligation to prevent, and strengthen understanding of the legal norms of international human rights and humanitarian law that are relevant to preventing genocide. Finally, the Museum hopes to provide a useful guide to Myanmar for fulfilling its obligations to prevent genocide and a tool to interested States and other parties for evaluating Myanmar’s compliance with the ICJ’s order.
