UN General Assembly Establishes International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide

On 23 May 2024, the United Nations General Assembly voted to adopt a resolution establishing July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.

This new international day will commemorate the 1995 massacre in which at least 8,372 Bosniaks were killed by Bosnian Serb forces in the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica. The massacre led to thousands being displaced and entire communities destroyed. The brutal killings of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica have been recognized as an act of genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

The resolution unequivocally condemns any denial of the Srebrenica genocide as a historical event. It also denounces actions that glorify individuals convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by international courts, including those responsible for the Srebrenica genocide.

Despite efforts by Serbian officials to block the resolution, it passed with 84 countries voting in favor, 19 voting against, 68 abstaining, and 22 not voting. Serbian officials argued that the resolution unfairly demonizes Serbs, although it does not mention Serbs as the culprits.

Consequently, the adoption of the resolution has sparked protests and further lobbying efforts by Serbia’s president and the Bosnian Serb leadership.

The resolution, sponsored by Germany and Rwanda, also requests UN member states “to preserve the established facts, including through their educational systems by developing appropriate programs, also in remembrance, towards preventing denial and distortion, and the occurrence of genocides in the future.”