Statement from the One UN in Rwanda on the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust 2019

Honourable Esperance Nyirasafari, Minister of Sports and Culture,

Ambassadors, Heads of Diplomatic Missions and Development Partners,

Representatives of Civil Society, the Private Sector and the Media,

Dear colleagues of the One UN Rwanda Family,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

MWARAMUTSE NEZA, Good morning.

I am honoured to be here today on behalf of the United Nations in Rwanda, as we gather in Kigali to join this International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.

Let me first express my sincere gratitude to the Embassies of Germany and Israel for once again partnering with the United Nations in Rwanda on this important event. I would like to thank the team from the German Embassy for the collaboration in organizing this event, as well as for our overall partnership in supporting development in Rwanda. I would like to thank the Ambassador of the State of Israel, and Professor Michael Brenner who is with us today.

I also wish to thank the Government of Rwanda, represented by the Honourable Minister and other senior officials, for supporting the organization of this event.

And let me not forget to thank the Goethe Institute for its support and the Kandt House Museum for hosting us at this historic site.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The United Nations General Assembly has taken robust measures to fight intolerance, linking the underlying causes of genocide, the lessons to be learned from the Holocaust, and the protection of human rights today.

Rejecting any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, in 2005 the General Assembly adopted a resolution by consensus condemning all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, whenever they occur.

The United Nations also designated January 27—the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz—as a day for member states to honor the Jewish victims of the Holocaust and other victims of Nazism.

In April 2014, twenty years after the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the Security Council condemned any denial of the genocide and urged Member States to develop educational programmes to prevent future atrocities.

In his message last year for this International Day of Commemoration, the UN Secretary General said:

“The annual day of commemoration is about the past, but also the future; it is about Jews but also all others who find themselves scapegoated and vilified solely because of who they are. Today we have two fundamental duties. First, to remember the Holocaust and its victims. Second, to be vigilant about hatred today. Genocide does not happen in a vacuum.”

The Secretary General’s remarks remind us that to honour the victims of this terrible chapter of history, we must stand together against the normalization of hate.  We must learn from the lessons of the Holocaust to act against discrimination in all its forms, and to defend democratic values.

The international community including the UN shares a responsibility to remember these atrocities and to decisively resist racism and violence.

We must do this in honour of those who lost their lives, to ensure it never happens again.

As we remember the victims of the Holocaust, and recall each day the tragedy that took place here in Rwanda, let us all, with a united voice, say NEVER AGAIN -- never again to ideology of hate and genocide.  Never again to violence against people based on their religion, colour, or ethnic origins.

Let me reiterate and reassure that the United Nations remains firmly committed to fighting all manifestations of religious, ethnic, and cultural intolerance.

Together we can create a world where dignity is respected and diversity is celebrated.  Through education and understanding, we can build a future of human rights and peaceful coexistence for all.

Thank you.