Remembering Srebrenica strongly welcomes the proposed United Nations General Assembly resolution which declares July 11 “The International Day of Reflection and Remembrance of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide”. On that occasion, the Chairman of Remembering Srebrenica UK, Dr Waqar Azmi OBE said he wrote to the British Foreign Minister, David Cameron, urging him to support the Resolution and lobby other UN member states to also vote in favour of it.

“I have today written to the Foreign Secretary the Rt Hon Lord David Cameron calling on the UK Government to support the proposed UN resolution and step up the pace of diplomatic influence to get other countries across the world to also vote in favour of the resolution when it comes before the 193 member states of the UN General Assembly on May 2.

Humanity has lived through the darkest of times, but few events have marked our collective consciousness more than the Srebrenica genocide which according to the UN was the ‘worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War’,” he said.

Azmi noted that his organisation is proud that with the support of the UK Government in Westminster and governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom is the only country outside Bosnia and Herzegovina that commemorates the Srebrenica genocide at a national level, as well as organises at a local level each year 1,000 memorial events and activities in schools, town halls, and places of worship across the UK, making this the largest number of commemoration activities in the world.

“We are also proud that the UK was the first country that drafted the United Nations Resolution on Srebrenica in 2015 which was deplorably vetoed by Russia. However, genocide denial, glorification of perpetrators, promotion of hatred against Bosniak Muslims and constant threats to peace, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina makes it obligatory that this resolution is robustly
supported by not just the UK, but all UN member states,” he noted.

Azmi concluded by saying that the International Day will not only honour the victims and survivors but help build new hope for dialogue and reconciliation, as well as provide an opportunity to bring communities together to reject hatred and create stronger, safer, and more cohesive communities.