In his message, the Secretary-General paid tribute to the victims, the survivors, and the resilience of Rwandans. He highlighted the failure of the international community to prevent the Genocide and stressed the importance of preventing Genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other serious violations of international law.

"How easily hate speech – a key indicator of the risk of genocide – turns to hate crime," said Guterres. " How complacency in the face of atrocity is complicity. And how no place, and no time is immune to danger – including our own."

The Secretary-General called on the international community to stand firm against rising intolerance and to be ever vigilant, always ready to act. He emphasized that preventing genocide and other atrocities is a shared responsibility of all UN member states.

Guterres, 73, also acknowledged the ongoing work of Rwandans towards healing, restoration, and reconciliation and urged the international community to support their efforts and work towards building a future of dignity, security, justice, and human rights for all.

“We pay tribute to the resilience of the survivors. We recognize the journey of the Rwandan people towards healing, restoration, and reconciliation,” he said.

As the world reflects on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Guterres’s message serves as a reminder of the shared responsibility of all nations to prevent atrocities and promote peace and justice for all.

António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres GCC GCL is a Portuguese politician and diplomat. Since 2017, he has served as secretary-general of the United Nations, the ninth person to hold this title. A member of the Portuguese Socialist Party, Guterres served as prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 according to Wikipedia.

Src: The New Times