International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime 2021: All you need to know

9 December marks International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. This year is the 73rd anniversary of 1948 Genocide Convention, the first human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly. unrcca.unmissions.org

The International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime is marked annually on 9 December. It is observed to raise awareness about genocide and the role of the United Nations’ Genocide Convention in preventing it.

This year marks the 73rd anniversary of the Convention, which establishes the duty of governments and states to prevent crimes of genocide and punish those who who are involved in the heinous crime.

History

On 9 December, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, also known as the Genocide Convention. This significant date was later chosen to observe the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of Prevention of this Crime

This Convention set down the first legal definition of the term genocide. It also stated that the prime responsibility to prevent genocide lies with the states.

What is Genocide?

The Genocide Convention defines the term as ” acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group” through measures such as causing physical and mental harm to them, killing members of an ethnic or racial group or inflicting conditions of life that will bring about their physical destruction.  Genocide also includes imposing measures to prevent births in a specific racial, ethnic or religious group or transferring children forcibly to another group.

Significance of this day

At the 2005 World Summit, member states agreed to protect their populations from war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, as well as their incitement. The summit also agreed that the international community would assist members states in this measure as well as take action collectively in accordance with the UN Charter when member states fail to protect their populations from such crimes.

Many special advisors on the Prevention of Genocide are also working to assess areas where there are probabilities of genocidal crimes, war crimes or ethnic cleansing.

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