Citation
A/RES/74/273
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
21 April 2020
Seventy-fourth session
Agenda item 64 (b)
New Partnership for Africa’s Development: progress in
implementation and international support: causes of
conflict and the promotion of durable peace and
sustainable development in Africa
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
on 20 April 2020
[without reference to a Main Committee (A/74/L.40 and A/74/L.40/Add.1)]
74/273.
International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the
Tutsi in Rwanda
The General Assembly,
Reaffirming the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights 1 and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
of Genocide, 2
Emphasizing that the crime of genocide, as recognized in the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, is an odious scourge that has
inflicted great losses on humanity,
Recalling that the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
of Genocide was adopted in 1948 in order to avoid the repetition of acts of genocide
and that international cooperation is required to facilitate the timely prevention and
punishment of the crime of genocide,
Recalling also its resolution 58/234 of 23 December 2003, and recalling further
its decision 72/550 of 26 January 2018, by which it designated 7 April as the
International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda,
amending the title of the annual observance,
Recalling further that the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal
Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Genocide and Other Serious
Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of Rwanda
and Rwandan Citizens Responsible for Genocide and Other Such Violations
__________________
1
2
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Resolution 217 A (III).
Resolution 260 A (III), annex.
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A/RES/74/273
International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide
against the Tutsi in Rwanda
Committed in the Territory of Neighbouring States between 1 January and
31 December 1994 issued, on 16 June 2006, a judicial notice concluding that it was a
“fact of common knowledge” that “between 6 April and 17 July 1994, there was a
genocide in Rwanda against the Tutsi ethnic group”, recalling that more than a million
people were killed during the genocide, including Hutu and others who opposed it,
and noting with concern any form of denial of the genocide,
Recalling its resolution 73/328 of 25 July 2019 on promoting interreligious and
intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech,
Commending the tremendous efforts of the Government and people of Rwanda
to restore the dignity of the survivors, including the allocation by the Government of
6 per cent of its annual national budget for the support of genocide survivors,
Honouring the courage and dedication shown by the men and women who
stopped the genocide,
Expressing concern that many of the genocide suspects continue to elude justice,
recognizing the importance of all States combating impunity for all violations of
human rights and acts that constitute the crime of genocide, and reaffirming its strong
opposition to impunity,
Convinced that exposing and holding the perpetrators, including their
accomplices, accountable, as well as restoring the dignity of victims through
acknowledgement and commemoration of their suffering, would guide societies in the
prevention of future acts of genocide and human rights violations,
Noting that the prosecution of persons responsible for genocide and other
serious international crimes, through the national and international justice systems,
including the gacaca courts of Rwanda, has contributed and continues to contribute
to the process of national reconciliation in Rwanda,
Recognizing that 7 April 2020 marks the twenty-sixth anniversary of the
genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, during which Hutu and others who opposed it
were also killed,
1.
Reaffirms 7 April as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994
Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda;
2.
Encourages all Member States, organizations of the United Nations
system and other relevant international organizations, as well as civil society
organizations, to observe the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide
against the Tutsi in Rwanda, including special observances and activities in memory
of the victims of the genocide;
3.
Calls upon States to recommit to preventing and fighting against genocide
and other serious crimes under international law, and underscores the importance of
taking into account lessons learned from the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in
Rwanda, during which Hutu and others who opposed it were also killed;
4.
Calls upon all States to act in accordance with the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide 2 so as to ensure that there is no
repetition of events of the kind that occurred in Rwanda in 1994;
5.
Condemns without reservation any denial of the genocide against the Tutsi
ethnic group in Rwanda as a historical event in full or in part, as established by the
Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 2006, rejects
any denial of the genocide, and urges Member States to develop educational
programmes that will inculcate in future generations the lessons of the genocide in
order to help to prevent future acts of genocide;
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International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the
Tutsi in Rwanda
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6.
Condemns any advocacy of hatred that constitutes incitement to
discrimination, hostility or violence, whether it involves the use of print, audiovisual
or electronic media, social media or any other means;
7.
Condemns without reservation all manifestations of intolerance, hate
speech, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on
ethnic origin, religion or belief, wherever they occur;
8.
Welcomes efforts by Member States to investigate and prosecute those
accused of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, and calls upon all States to cooperate
with the Government of Rwanda to investigate, arrest, prosecute or extradite all
remaining fugitives;
9.
Calls upon States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to consider doing so as
a matter of high priority and, where necessary, to enact national legislation in order
to meet their obligations under the Convention;
10. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure greater collaboration between
existing early warning mechanisms for the prevention of genocide and other serious
international crimes, in order to help to detect, assess and respond to sources of
tension and points of risk or identify vulnerable populations;
11. Also requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Government
of Rwanda, to encourage the relevant agencies, funds and programmes of the United
Nations system to take appropriate steps to support the efforts of the Government to
enhance judicial capacity-building and victim support;
12. Further requests the Secretary-General to modify the title of the outreach
programme to “outreach programme on the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in
Rwanda and the United Nations” and to take measures to mobilize civil society for
remembrance and education in the context of the International Day of Reflection on
the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, in order to help to prevent future acts
of genocide, and to report annually to the General Assembly on the implementation
of the programme.
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