"Briefing on the preparation for the commemoration…

Srebrenica marks one of the darkest chapters in modern human history. The war that followed the breakup of the former Yugoslavia claimed more than 100,000 lives in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995, mostly of Bosnian Muslims, and displaced more than two million others. The list of atrocities committed during that time is overwhelming, but Srebrenica, without a doubt, became its darkest chapter. Previously declared as the UN "safe area," 8,372 women, men, and children were systematically executed in July 1995 in and around the town of Srebrenica, the largest atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.

In preparation to appropriately mark the 29th and the 30th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, a series of events are planned, which include the HL Conference, an exhibition, and the main commemorative event in July 2024 and 2025. 

Further to that, and after having designated 7 April as the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda in 2003 (further amended in 2018 as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda), we are proposing a resolution to designate 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Among important reasons for having 11 July designated as the International Day of Commemoration is to reaffirm the importance of the lessons to be learned from the United Nations failures in preventing the genocide at Srebrenica and its resolve to take early and effective action to prevent the recurrence of such a tragedy through appropriate means at its disposal. The mothers of Srebrenica have been tirelessly preserving the memory and seeking justice for almost 30 years. It is high time for the UN to share that burden and continue both preserving the memory and memorizing this sad day in its history.

For the sake of memory, but also as a warning. As the UN Secretary-General noted in 2023 - "A generation since the genocide, we must never forget what happened – and ensure future generations always remember."

Therefore, the main purpose of the briefing is to inform Member States of these activities, including background information on the proposed resolution.

Agenda:

Short video

Welcome and opening

H.E. Dr. Zlatko Lagumdžija, Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN

Keynote

H.E. Dr. Denis Bećirović, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Remarks by

H.E. Mr. Željko Komšić, Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mr. Azir Osmanović, a native of Srebrenica and survivor of the Srebrenica Genocide, author of the major exhibition "In the Footsteps of Those Who Did (Not) Cross" and the Memoir "From Srebrenica to the Light at the End of the Tunnel"

Closing

H.E. Dr. Zlatko Lagumdžija, Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN