Lessons remain to be learnt in protecting communities from genocide and mass atrocities, said the UN deputy Secretary General at the commemoration event of the Srebrenica genocide.
Stressing that more work had to be done by the international community, Jan Eliasson, said,
“I wish that I could say that the genocide which occurred here made the world fully realize the curse of hate and the folly of division. But tragedies still take place with grim frequency – in Syria, in Iraq, in South Sudan, in Yemen and many other places. We still have many lessons to learn.”
Noting the UN and international communities failure to protect, he added,
“Let me be clear. The United Nations and the international community failed to protect the people of Srebrenica. This will, and should, haunt us forever. It has fundamentally affected us and is, in many ways, altering our work.”
Describing steps taken by the UN to prevent future reoccurrence, Mr Eliasson urged the international community to act “without hesitation,” adding,
“In 2004, we appointed the first Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. In 2005, the Responsibility to Protect was accepted by the General Assembly.”