UN officials re-affirm commitment to preventing and punishing genocide
United Nations officials and international experts convened in New York today to mark the 65th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Addressing the United Nations Headquarters on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, deputy, Jan Eliasson said,
Addressing the United Nations Headquarters on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, deputy, Jan Eliasson said,
“Today we have to move beyond early warning to early action. We have to strengthen the capacity of our institutions to respond in a timely and effective way to potential conflicts and to the threat of grave and massive human rights violations. Even the best system of early warning will be less helpful unless States are able and willing to take action when the warning is received.”
“We can no longer afford to be blind to this grim dynamic, nor should we imagine that appeals to morality, without credible threat of action, will have much effect on people who have adopted a deliberate strategy of killing and forcible expulsion.”
“Anyone who embarks on genocide commits a crime against humanity. It is therefore important that humanity must respond by taking action in its own defence. It is our collective obligation to stand firm and provide a shield to the defenceless.”
“Genocide does not happen overnight. There are almost always many warning signs usually over a period of years. Very often these are violations of human rights against one particular group or entity within a population.”
“We must be vigilant, courageous and persistent. We live in a troubled world, but it is within the power of all of us to make a difference. We must not be passive bystanders. We must always stand up for human rights, the rule of law and a life of dignity for all.”