What:       The 27^th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda.

Theme:     “Remember-Unite-Renew”.

When:        Wednesday, 7^th April 2021, starting from 11:00 a.m.

Where:       Nelson Mandela Hall of the AUC Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Virtual Event will take place on the Zoom platform.

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https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zafq0sXPSNGejiqENxcczQ

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     Who:         The Political Affairs, Peace and SecurityDepartment (PAPS) of the African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in Ethiopia and Djibouti; Permanent Mission to the African Union and UNECA

Purpose and Objectives:

The overall purpose of this annual commemoration is to continuously awaken the greater consciousness of African peoples and the international community on the value of life and human dignity, and to renew our collective commitment to protect and uphold fundamental human rights.

The specific objectives are to:

1. Remember the atrocities brought by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda;
2. Reflect on the repercussions that the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 had inside and outside Rwanda's borders;
3. Unite together in the fight against genocide; genocide ideology as well as  genocide denial;
4. Renew our resolve to ensure that genocide never happens again in Africa or elsewhere;
5. Collectively commit to justice and the fight against impunity.

Participants:           

This 27^th edition of the Commemoration of the Genocide Against the Tutsi is organized by the African Union Commission in collaboration with the authorities and members of the Rwandan community, and attended by officials from the AU Commission (AUC), AU member states, members of the diplomatic corps, AU organs, religious institutions, human rights institutions, intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, UN agencies, think tanks, international organizations and academic institutions in Ethiopia.

Background:

The commemoration of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda is annually organised by the African Union following the African Union policy organ decision to recognise the 7^th of April as a day of remembrance of the victims of the genocide and reaffirmation of Africa’s resolve to prevent and fight hate speech and genocide ideology on the continent. The decision was adopted by the African Union Permanent Representatives Committee during its special session on the Commemoration of the 10^th Anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Journalists are invited to cover the 27th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda through the Zoom link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zafq0sXPSNGejiqENxcczQ

For more information contact:

Amb. Salah Siddig Hammad|Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, African Union Commission|Tel: +251 115182615| Email: HammadS@africa-union.org

For media enquiries, please contact:

Mr. Paschal Chem-Langhee | Communication Officer | Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department | E-mail: Chem-LangheeP@africa-union.org

Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communications Directorate | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org

Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website:www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia Follow Us:Facebook |Twitter |