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Remembrance and Prevention: The Role of Commemoration and Memory for the Prevention of Genocide

Every 9 December, the United Nations 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 ¨C 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 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. Every year, the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide hosts a high-level event to observe this International Day, honoring genocide victims and marking the anniversary of the Convention.

This year¡¯s event takes place in between two landmark commemorations. In April 2024, Rwanda marked 30 years since the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. In July 2025, Bosnia and Herzegovina will mark 30 years since the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. Thus, the event will be dedicated to the role of commemoration and memorialization efforts not only to honor the victims and survivors of genocide, but also as effective mechanisms for the prevention of future genocides. It will focus on the experiences of Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina to explore the ways in which commemoration and memory of past genocides serve as an essential component of prevention.

Commemoration and memorialization initiatives are inextricably linked to the two obligations set forth by the Genocide Convention, namely, the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide. By promoting truth-telling and healing, fostering a culture of peace education, social cohesion and respect for diversity, keeping a record of the past and collecting testimonies of victims and survivors, establishing and maintaining archives, and contributing to reducing instances of genocide denial and glorification of war criminals, such efforts significantly contribute to the implementation of these two key obligations.

The need to invest in genocide prevention, as envisaged by the Genocide Convention drafters 76 years ago remains as relevant as ever.

The International Day

By its of 29 September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly established 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. 9 December 2022 marks the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, as well as the 74th anniversary of the 1948  (the ¡°Genocide Convention¡±), the first human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly. 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. Every year the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and Responsibility to Protect organizes events to mark this International Day, honoring the victims of genocide and the anniversary of the Convention.

The Genocide Convention

The  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.

A call to action for genocide prevention

The objects in this exhibition reflect the lives of their one-time owners and the impact of war, trauma, displacement and exile on these lives. The objects survived the Holocaust, genocide and other atrocity crimes in Cambodia, Srebrenica and Rwanda.

View the exhibit

In terms of prevention, the critical step is to identify the factors (discriminatory practices) in a given situation that lead to or account for acute disparities in the treatment of a diverse population, and to seek ways to diminish and eventually eradicate these possible causes of genocidal violence. Given that no country is perfectly homogeneous, genocide is a truly global challenge.

The Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect

The Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and on the Responsibility to Protect work together to advance national and international efforts to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, including their incitement. One of their main tasks is to collect information on situations where there may be a risk of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, based on the risk factors outlined in the . Due to the sensitive nature of their mandate, much of the Office¡¯s work remains outside of the public eye. However, when the Special Advisers assess that making their concerns public will reduce the risk of atrocity crimes in a specific situation, they do so by issuing  and, upon request, by briefing the Security Council.

Srebrenica Genocide: No Room for Denial

When words kill

75 years of the Genocide convention

We must counter hate speech if we want to prevent future genocides ¨C an interview with Alice Wairimu Nderitu, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, by Africa Renewal¡¯s Zipporah Musau

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Resources

Documents

• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (75th Anniversary edition)
•  (A/RES/69/323)
•  (A/RES/3/260)
•  (23 March 2015)

Other resources

•  
• International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, 11 July
• Beyond the Long Shadow: Engaging with Difficult Histories
•