Mr. Guterres made an appeal in message to mark This International Day of Remembrance and Honor for Victims of Genocide and Crime Preventionobserved on Friday.
“States have a primary obligation to prevent genocide, but religious and community leaders, civil society, the private sector and the media – including social media platforms, which play an essential role,” he said.
Recheck failure to prevent
For the Secretary-General, International Day is an occasion to remember and express gratitude to genocide victims and survivors around the world.
“This is a day to review our collective failure to stop this crime in the past and to double prevention efforts for the present and the future,” he added.
However, more than 70 years after the international community adopted a Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide“The threat of genocide is still present in many parts of the world,” he warned.
‘Early warning signs’ on the rise
“Discrimination and hate speech, early warning signs of genocide, are increasing everywhere,” he said.
“We must do more to promote strong political leadership and resolute action against these dangerous trends. We must do more to live up to our pledge to free humanity from the scourge of genocide.”
Prevention and elimination
Mr. Guterres recounted that last month he visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.
He has met survivors of the horrors inflicted under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, whose touching testimonies are powerful reminders of the personal suffering, pain, and horror of their lives. with genocide and atrocities.
“I urge every Member State to take concrete steps to protect communities at risk, including minorities, and to address discrimination and discrimination,” said Mr. Guterres. treat.
“On this International Day of Remembrance and Honor for the Victims of the Crime of Genocide, I urge all parties involved to use all available means to prevent and end this crime.”
The power of sport
The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Genocide Prevention, Alice Nderitu, also stressed the need for global action.
She was speaking at a celebratory event in New York that looked at the role sport plays in preventing brutality.
Ms. Nderitu said history has shown the dangers of hate speech and its impact if left unchallenged.
“Hate speech can be both a sign of risk and a trigger for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity,” she said.
“We saw this lead up to the Holocaust, the genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda and in Srebrenica, where the story of the ‘other’ was used to dehumanize and defame, contribute to exclusion, disparagement discrimination, isolation, hate crimes and, in the most extreme cases, atrocities, including genocide.”
GAME PLAN against hate
The event also saw the launch of an Action Plan to Combat Hate Speech Through Sports Engagement.
Called the GAME PLAN, this is the result of two years of consultations by the Special Counsel and a Working Group that includes representatives from major sports leagues in the United States and beyond.
The initiative stems from the Global Summit on Elimination of Hate organized by community leaders in the US city of Pittsburgh following the attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in October. 2018 – the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in the nation’s history.
One of the co-chairs of the United Nations Summit’s Sports Working Group is Michele Rosenthal, former head of community affairs for the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, whose two brothers were killed in the crash. attack.
The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, who also spoke at the event, highlighted how sport can make the world a better place.
“In sport, everyone speaks the same language, regardless of boundaries, cultures and religions,” he said. “Sport can develop a sense of understanding and awareness of diversity, it can fight prejudice and hate speech.”
