Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
I am honored to address the Event to mark the 73rd Anniversary of the Genocide Convention and the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime on behalf of the Member States of the Asia-Pacific group at the United Nations.
On 9 December 1948, the General Assembly adopted the Convention, which entered into force on 12 January 1951. Subsequently, on 11 September 2015, the General Assembly adopted resolution 69/323 which acknowledged the call of victims of and others affected by the crime of genocide as defined in the Convention for a form of memorialization, which plays an important role in the prevention of genocide. Thus, the GA proclaimed 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of This Crime. It is on this very day that we are gathered here to commemorate the anniversary.
This year’s theme, “The voices of youth for a peaceful and inclusive world” is worth exploring as youth are amongst the most vulnerable in society, but are also best placed to shape their own, and our collective future. Today’s anniversary meeting has, inter alia, highlighted challenges faced by youth being impacted by violence but also shown the diverse and positive ways that young people have contributed to, and participated in, past and current responses to situations of violence and atrocity crimes. We thank the participants that have gone before us for sharing their perspectives with us.
I thank you Mr. President.