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“This is the XXI century. We mark 70 years since we have adopted the Convention and committed never again to allow this crime to happen. We have uttered “Never Again” so many times since, yet genocides have not been fenced off,” Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan stated at High Level Panel on the 70th Anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. 

In Mnatsakanyan’s words, tendencies of radicalism, exclusion and hatred are rattling the international agenda. “Particularly troubling is the conspicuous decline in the international commitment to multilateralism and respect for human rights at a time when we need more international cooperation and stronger institutions for this, especially the United Nations,” said the minister, adding: “Genocides may not be occurring too often, but seldom as they may be, they are the ultimate crime. Lemkin’s argument to the sceptics of the need to legislate such crimes has been about the permanent loss of a group targeted with genocides, while the survivors of genocide would be forever deprived of an invaluable part of their identity. We know this from experience.”

FM Mnatsakanyan next reminded that Armenia has been consistently promoting the recognition of the importance and priority of early prevention, which entails sufficient capacity to detect, monitor and address early warning signs of situations, which, if not addressed, may lead to deteriorations beyond control and all the way to the perpetration of massive crimes.

Consistent and determined protection of fundamental human rights defines a notion of responsibility to prevent. Indeed, prevention should be viewed as a responsibility to be delivered first of all at a national level. Solid national institutions, an active, diverse and robust civil society, free media and academia contribute towards ensuring transparency and accountability.

“The international community and the UN system should be resolute in reacting to all patterns of discrimination and targeting of vulnerable groups, to hate speech, radicalism and incitement to hatred.  Denialism and impunity are fundamental obstacles to prevention. Justice denied haunts generations of genocide survivors and obstructs genuine reconciliation,” said the minister.