MEDIA ADVISORY

Symposium on the 28^th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide Against Tusti in Rwanda

INVITATION TO THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA

What:           Symposium on the 28th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda.

Theme:           “Remember-Unite-Renew”

When:            Thursday, 16th June 2022, starting from 09:30 a.m.

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

Who:               The Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) of the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in Ethiopia and Permanent Mission to the African Union, in collaboration with the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS).

Purpose:

The overall purpose of this symposium is to awaken greater awareness of the African people, the academia and the international community about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis, its origins and the dangers of hate speech and genocide denial.

Objectives:

The symposium aims to provide recommendations to policymakers on how to fight against all forms of genocide manifestations. It will also raise awareness about the issue to critical stakeholders, particularly the youth and academia, by educating them about genocide ideology, genocide denial, and hate speech.

Participants:

Close to 300 participants are expected to take part in this symposium representing relevant stakeholders and policymakers from the AU (AU Commission, AU member states) and Regional Economic Communities and Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) as well as international organisations, the diplomatic community, civil society organisations, research organizations, think tanks, academia, students, and media based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background:

The symposium which comes within the scope of the commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda is annually organised by the African Union and the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in Ethiopia and the Permanent Mission to the African Union, and in collaboration with the Institute for Peace and Security Studies as part of the remembrance of the victims of the genocide and reaffirmation of our resolve to prevent and fight the genocide and its ideology on the continent.

Media representatives are invited to cover the opening session of the Symposium on the 28th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda on 16th June 2022. Attached the Programme of the event

For media inquiries, please contact:

1. Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org
2. Yonas Berhané  | Communications and Profile Management Coordinator, IPSS  | Tel: +251 930 821382

Email: Yonas.b@ipss-addis.org

3. Sandrine Mwiliriza  Communications Officer, Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in Ethiopia | Tel: +251 966 278295 | Email: Smwiliriza@embassy.gov.rw

Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org
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