Be Vigilant, Stand Firm to Combat Rising Intolerance, Secretary-General Urges in Message Marking Anniversary of 1994 Rwanda Genocide against Tutsi

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda — Twenty-ninth Anniversary, observed on 7 April:

On this International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, we mourn the more than 1 million children, women, and men who perished in 100 days of horror 29 years ago.

We honour the memory of the victims — the overwhelming majority Tutsi, but also Hutu and others who opposed the genocide.  We pay tribute to the resilience of the survivors.  We recognize the journey of the Rwandan people towards healing, restoration and reconciliation.  And we remember — with shame — the failure of the international community.

A generation since the genocide, we must never forget what happened — and ensure future generations always remember.  How easily hate speech — a key indicator of the risk of genocide — turns to hate crime.  How complacency in the face of atrocity is complicity.  And how no place, and no time is immune to danger — including our own.

Preventing genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other serious violations of international law is a shared responsibility.  It is a core duty of every member of the United Nations.  Together, let us stand firm against rising intolerance.  Let us be ever vigilant — and always ready to act.  And let us truly honour the memory of all Rwandans who perished by building a future of dignity, security, justice, and human rights for all.