On March 30, the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution “On the Prevention of Genocide,” submitted by the Republic of Armenia.
This biennial resolution is based on the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and plays a significant role in implementing the provisions of this important document in the operational sphere of UN policy.
The resolution aims to promote the ideology of early warning in the prevention of genocide and to identify the scale of risk factors, including hatred, discrimination, and impunity. The resolution also emphasizes the importance of a timely response, which can significantly contribute to preventing the escalation of violence.
By placing the issue of genocide prevention on the international agenda, the resolution once again underscores the importance of this topic among current diplomatic priorities. It contributes to the strengthening of international justice mechanisms and addresses those international events and challenges that require greater attention at this time. This year’s resolution proposes strengthening the mandate to prevent genocide in the context of the UN-80 reform and draws attention to the potential for algorithmic systems and artificial intelligence tools to contribute to the spread of disinformation and hatred, influencing information flows and undermining human rights.
The resolution “Prevention of Genocide” also makes an important contribution to advancing the process of universal ratification of the Genocide Convention by calling on States that have not yet acceded to the Convention to accede immediately.
As in previous years, this year’s resolution “Prevention of Genocide,” introduced by Armenia, enjoys broad support from UN Member States representing all regional groups, as evidenced by the large number of co-sponsors, which at the time of adoption had already reached sixty.
The resolution reaffirms Armenia’s call for the international community and the entire world to unite to prevent the scourge of genocide.
A resolution with the same title, previously submitted by Armenia, was unanimously adopted on April 3, 2024, at the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council.