New York, 9 December 2022 (TDI): The world commemorates the International Day of Genocide Prevention on 9th December every year.
The official name of the day is “International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.” The day is to honor the victims of Genocide.
It is a means of bringing attention to the ways in which the world can support the relatives of the victims. Another goal of the day is to help others remember not to commit this horrific crime again.
Moreover, it honors the value of peace and security and the reasons why they should be valued. Genocide is the planned and systematic destruction of an ethnic, racial, or religious group.
The deadliest genocide in history was the Holocaust committed by Nazi Germany during World War II claimed over six million lives. Between 1942 and 1945, genocides have taken up to 11 million lives according to certain estimates.
Since the end of the last world war, there had been a significant reduction in the number of persons killed in genocides.
However, there have been a number of genocides in recent years, with the Rwandan genocide in 1994 being one of the deadliest claiming up to 1 million lives.
History of the Day
The UN ratified the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide on 9th December 1948.
The Convention represents the willingness community to prevent genocidal crimes. Additionally, it established a responsibility for State Parties to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.
Also read: International Anti-Corruption Day 2022
It also provided the first international legal definition of “genocide,” which was universally accepted at both the national and international levels.
The UN declared the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of This Crime on 9th December 2015 through a resolution. The United Nations has collaborated to put a stop to this atrocity.
