International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda

On 23 December 2003, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution (A/RES/58/234) designating 7 April, the start date of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, as the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda. Every year, on or around that date, the United Nations organizes commemorative events at its Headquarters in New York and at United Nations offices around the world. Since the establishment of the Programme in 2005, commemorative activities have taken place in more than 20 countries.

The Government of Rwanda has asked that the world's observance of the Day include a minute of silence at 12:00 noon local time in each time zone. At the Memorial Conference on the Rwanda Genocide, organized by the Governments of Canada and Rwanda at the United Nations in New York on 26 March 2004, the Secretary-General stated that "'Such a minute of silence has the potential to unite the world, however fleetingly, around the idea of global solidarity. I would like to urge all people, everywhere, no matter what their station in life, whether in crowded cities or remote rural areas, to set aside whatever they might be doing at noon on that day, and pause to remember the victims. Let us be united in a way we were not ten years ago. And let us, by what we do in one single minute, send a message - a message of remorse for the past, resolve to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again - and let’s make it resound for years to come."

Since 1994, the United Nations has launched a process of critical self-examination to understand what went wrong. In Rwanda, the Organization has tried to extract lessons learned from the failures encountered with the peacekeeping operations in the country.

In recent crises, the UN has tried to respond more quickly and effectively at the first signs of a threat to civilian life. The Security Council has authorized action by multinational forces, followed over time by the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces. The Secretary-General has become more assertive in raising awareness among Member States about civilian massacres and the need for quick deployment to forestall bloodshed. He has urged the members of the Security Council to engage in serious discussions on the best way to respond to threats of genocide or comparable massive violations of human rights.