The following is the message of the UN Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, on the occasion of the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994, commemorated on April 7:
On this International Day of Reflection on the Genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994, we mourn the death of more than one million children, women and men, who perished during one hundred days of horror, 29 years.
We honor the memory of the victims, mostly Tutsis, but also Hutus and others who opposed the genocide.
We pay tribute to the resilience of those who survived.
We salute the people of Rwanda who are on their way to healing, restoration and reconciliation.
We remember with shame the failure of the international community.
29 years after the genocide, we must never forget what happened and ensure that future generations also remember how easily hate speech, a harbinger of genocide, can turn into hate crime, laxity, in the face of atrocities, which equates to complicity, because no place and no time are immune to danger, including our own.
The prevention of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other serious violations of international law is a shared responsibility.
This is the basic duty of every member of the United Nations.
Together, let us fight firmly against the rise of intolerance.
Let us be vigilant and always ready to act.
Let us also honor the memory of all Rwandans who perished, let us build a future of dignity, justice and human rights for all.
