Kigali, 20 April 2018 (ECA) - The UN in Rwanda marked the 24th Commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda on Friday 20th April 2018, paying tribute to its 64 employees, including one ECA staff, brutally killed during the 100 dark days of 1994.
The commemoration was held at the UNDP Compound in Kigali, where a plaque was erected to honor the memories of the fallen UN staff.
In her statement of solidarity with the Rwandan people, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Vera Songwe, remarked that:
“During this solemn period, the thoughts of the whole continent are with the people of Rwanda. The experience of Rwanda after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi reminds us all that, with determination and resilience, remarkable things can be achieved in the face of great adversity. We must learn from the Rwanda experience of 1994 and commit to ensuring it never happens again on our beautiful continent and in the world at large.”
This year’s commemoration saw the launch of a UN Genocide survivors’ fund, to which UN Staff can voluntarily make financial contributions to offer support to the family members of departed UN staff.
The One UN in Rwanda will also commission the production of a memorial book and documentary that will serve as a celebration of the lives of fallen UN staff, to ensure that their memory and legacy lives on forever.
Early this month, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended Rwanda for the active steps taken towards national unity and reconciliation. “…We remember all those who were murdered and reflect on the suffering of the survivors, who have shown that reconciliation is possible, even after a tragedy of such monumental proportions," he said.
Mr. Guterres added that to save people at risk, we must go beyond words.
“We must nurture the courage to care and the resolve to act. Only by meeting these challenges can we honour the victims and survivors of genocide and ensure that what happened in Rwanda is never repeated, anywhere, ever again”.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa