International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda
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International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda |
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The Secretary-General of the United Nations presents his compliments to the Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia to the United Nations and has the honour to inform him/her that the world is about to mark the tenth anniversary of the most flagrant and incontrovertible instance of genocide that humanity has witnessed in half a century: the cold-blooded massacre of some eight hundred thousand men, women and children in Rwanda between April and July 1994. The General Assembly has designated 7 April 2004 as the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda, and has encouraged all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other relevant international organizations, as well as civil society organizations, to observe this International Day, including special observances and activities in memory of the victims. The Government of Rwanda, for its part, has asked the entire world to observe one minute of silence on that day, at 12 noon, local time, in each time zone. The Secretary-General wishes to support that request, and urges all Member States to comply with it. The Secretary-General believes that this is indeed an appropriate way for the world to mark its abhorrence of what happened in 1994 and its determination to prevent such a tragedy from ever being repeated. Accordingly, the Secretary-General is asking the Funds, Programmes and Specialized Agencies of the United Nations system to join the Secretariat in marking the International Day of Reflection. by observing one minute's silence at noon on Wednesday, 7 April, and. by holding special commemorative meetings and other events. The Secretary-General strongly urges the Governments of all Member States to cal on their peoples, and in particular on all public servants, to do the same. The Secretary-General hopes that by marking the anniversary in this way, the human family can come together as one to reflect to the suffering endured in Rwanda a decade ago, and to resolve that genocide will never again be allowed to pass.
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