The Head of the Srebrenica Memorial Center, Emir Suljagic, spoke to N1 about the upcoming UN Resolution on Srebrenica, whose significance he described as immense. Victims' families will no longer have to fear being forgotten, he said, adding that the heavy burden of truth-telling would now rest on the shoulders of global institutions disseminating the facts further. He also mentioned the curriculum teaching materials for universities and high school students which the Memorial Centre prepared with eminent local and international partners. Suljagic also touched upon the nature of the Resolution and attempts to turn UN member states against it.

“First of all, I want to wish all Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina Eid Mubarak. Under ordinary circumstances, and without your exceptional dedication, Nikola, as a journalist and reporter showing genuine interest in Srebrenica, I would hardly involve myself in an interview on this date. However, the circumstances are historic. We have until May 2nd to advance all partnerships, friendships, networks, and individuals to fend off those who wish to harm this sincere initiative started by Germany and Rwanda, and already supported by many other UN member states,” Suljagic told N1.

Over the last four years, he said, the team at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre worked tirelessly to build alliances with victims’ groups, memorials, and networks. He expressed hope that some of this groundwork will aid them in this mission.

“A brave figure behind closed doors is BiH Ambassador to the UN Zlatko Lagumdzija, who understands the value of this initiative and deserves credit for his efforts. I want to emphasize that Ambassador Lagumdzija played a crucial role in gathering global leaders under the umbrella of the Srebrenica Leadership Initiative, which subsequently opened many doors for the Memorial,” Suljagic noted.

“The significance of this Resolution is immense. Victims’ families will no longer have to fear being forgotten. The heavy burden of truth-telling will no longer solely rest on us, Bosnians, but rather on a global scale – to disseminate the facts further. I must commend our years of collaboration with the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Nderitu, who ensured our presence on the map and maintained recognition in the UN. Many thanks also go to Ingrid Macdonald and the UN team in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who placed their trust in us and collaborated on several remarkable projects involving youth volunteers. All of this forms a significant puzzle, and now we are fitting the final pieces together.”

The resolution emphasizes the importance of educating people about the Srebrenica Genocide to prevent revisionism and future genocides. To this end and thanks to the great support of Great Britain, the Memorial Centre developed a curriculum and curriculum materials for universities and high school students.

“We want to further develop this effort, and we are now working together with our partners from BIRN on this. Additionally, PCRC has done an amazing job organizing international summer schools in Srebrenica. We already have local experience in place, which can assist internationals in these programs. Let's not forget the contributions of Ann Petrila and Hasan Hasanovic in the field of oral history research, Azir Osmanovic in archiving, and Edin Ikanovic and Monica Green in aspects of mapping genocide denial. We should also recognize the efforts of Hikmet Karcic, Jasmin Medic, Muamer Dzananovic, Edina Becirevic, Hariz Halilovich, and Jasmin Mujanovic, who have been brave voices and hard workers in bringing Bosnia and Srebrenica to the attention of the world. We have people who understand the international perspective and are ready to explain Bosnia and Srebrenica to the world,” N1’s interlocutor pointed out.

Serbia’s leadership did not hide their opposition to the Resolution on the Srebrenica Genocide proposed by Germany and Rwanda, even though it never mentions Serbia or Serbs, or the perpetrators of the crime.

“Very few groups that went through horrors of extermination would accept this notion. But we did. We are accepting this, just to have a small trace of justice. On the other side? Belgrade is preparing teams to visit different parts of the world looking for allies. They will not dare to ask states to object; they will be satisfied if they remain sustained or not present. But let’s not talk about them; let’s talk about the big opportunity that this resolution opens up a new chapter, where denial is no longer an option. Confronting the facts of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica opens up a window for a better tomorrow,” Suljagic stated.

Speaking about the impact of genocide denial and the ‘tabloidization’ of historical events on the prospects for reconciliation and the promotion of truth and justice in the region Suljagic said that Mothers of Srebrenica and the Srebrenica Memorial Center have established a Dialogue Committee with members coming from different religions and ethnic groups.

“We have organized joint visits to Grabovica, Jasenovac, and many other places of tragedy and crimes. We are working really well with partners in Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia; we just had an exhibition in Podgorica. So, we are not the ones making populist decisions for social media likes. We are dedicated to our mission and ready to take responsible steps towards these so-called peace-building efforts. Therefore, we are not the right address for this question.”

in the coming period, leading up to the United Nations General Assembly session, Suljagic emphasized that BiH officials will need to secure support from UN member states, raise awareness among the Bosnian and Herzegovinian public about the opportunity the Resolution presents, elevate the level of alertness, and utilize all the necessary resources to advocate in its favour.

“For the next 30 days, this is priority number one for Bosnia and Herzegovina. All day-to-day provocations stop now. Don’t react to whatever local politicians and deniers of genocide are talking about this. Focus on the bigger picture. New York City, East River. Everything else is irrelevant. I want to extend my gratitude to the many people who support our efforts behind the scenes. We will support other state institutions, and we will win this,” the Head of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre concluded.

On Tuesday, the Srebrenica Memorial Centre called on all international missions and embassies to BiH to make every effort to have the “accurate and true information” reach the decision-makers in their respective countries, regarding the adoption of the Resolution on Srebrenica before the UN General Assembly.