The Global Conference on Srebrenica was held at the Srebrenica Memorial Center in Potočari – “Towards a Permanent United Nations Framework for Remembrance, Responsibility and Action”. The gathering brought together representatives of international institutions, the diplomatic corps, the United Nations, legal experts and civil society organizations.
The goal of the conference is to permanently incorporate the issue of the genocide in Srebrenica into international mechanisms of prevention and global politics of memory.
“Today at the Srebrenica Memorial Center we are discussing how to place the genocide in Srebrenica in a broader, global context, and how to turn the UN General Assembly Resolution on the International Day of Remembrance into a concrete framework for remembrance, responsibility and action,” said Emir Suljagić, director of the Srebrenica Memorial Center.
“Young children who do and talk about this, it will get into their heads and they will never forget it and they will be able to comfortably pass it on to new generations to come. And we, as mothers of Srebrenica, have conveyed to our children and grandchildren that they must know to remember what happened to us and never forget what happened to us,” said Munira Subašić, president of the Association of Mothers’ Movement of the Srebrenica and Žepa enclaves.
The adoption of the resolution of the General Assembly establishing the International Day of Remembrance and Commemoration of the Genocide in Srebrenica is a historical moment that contributes to confronting the truth about the genocide and the fight against its denial.
“The United Kingdom proudly supported the Resolution of the UN General Assembly declaring July 11 as an international day of remembrance. We did this because the truth is important and because denial of genocide continues to undermine reconciliation and threaten stability,” emphasized Julian Reilly, Ambassador of Great Britain to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“When memory is rooted in international frameworks, it is at least to some extent protected from political manipulation. When the truth is rooted in multilateral obligations, it becomes more resistant to denial. And when memory is connected to strategic policies and actions, it becomes a tool of prevention,” said Zlatko Lagumdžija, Ambassador of BiH to the UN.
Even today, the Metropolitan of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church bowed to the victims of Srebrenica, but also to all victims of crimes in the world.
“A person who has no feelings for the victims, no empathy, has a problem with himself. It is very important and significant that future generations do not forget and that this is not a memorial of oblivion, but that they remember that such a terrible genocide would never happen to anyone,” underlined Boris Bojović, Metropolitan of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church.
The conference represents the end of the five-year institutional support of the British government to the Srebrenica Memorial Center. Thanks to this support, a number of activities were carried out in the Memorial Center in the past period, which brought together the academic community, experts, journalists, artists and young people, Federalna writes.
