Since its adoption 75 years ago, the Genocide Convention has played an important role in the development of international criminal law, in holding perpetrators of this crime accountable, galvanizing prevention efforts, and giving voice to the victims of genocide. This year’s event (9 December) focuses on the legacy of the 1948 Agreement. It highlights some of the achievements emanating from the Convention and reminds us of the efforts that led to its drafting and adoption. Genocide is still a threat in the world today and populations around the world remain at risk of this crime.

Amid the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a UN safe area was established in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1993. But in July 1995, the town was overrun by Bosnian-Serb forces and over 8,000 Bosniak boys and men were killed within a week. The Srebrenica genocide is considered the largest atrocity in Europe since World War II. In June 2023, three Mothers of Srebrenica visited the United Nations to meet with senior officials and see the exhibit “Stories of Survival and Remembrance - A call to action for genocide prevention.”

In 1933, the Nazi Party took control of Germany and put its ideology into practice, identifying who could claim Germany as home. The process of exclusion went beyond legislation and propaganda campaigns of disinformation and hate speech, to state-sanctioned acts of terror. This year’s International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust explores how victims adjusted their ideas of “home” and “belonging” as they faced the violent, antisemitic onslaught of the Holocaust. Holocaust remembrance and education can inform our response to the plight of contemporary victims. 

9 December 2020 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 72nd anniversary of the 1948 “Genocide Convention”. The Convention signifies the international community’s commitment to “never again” and provides the first international legal definition of “genocide”. Register for the event on 9 December to listen to the voices of the victims of genocide to prevent further atrocity crimes. This year’s event will also reflect the need for the Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire.

Due to COVID-19, the traditional commemorative meeting of the General Assembly to mark the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda was postponed. However, on April 7th, the public is invited to reflect on one of the darkest chapters in human history when more than one million people – overwhelmingly Tutsi, but also moderate Hutu, Twa and others who opposed the genocide – were systematically killed in less than three months. We honour those who were murdered and reflect on the suffering of those who survived. Join the virtual observance and share the UN social media cards along with your own messages of solidarity.