On July 4, a joint statement dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was read at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva at the initiative of Armenia. The statement was joined by 41 states covering all UN regional groups, the RA MFA reports.

The Permanent Representative of Armenia, Ambassador Andranik Hovhannisyan, read the statement during the ICRC interactive dialogue with Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on Genocide Prevention.

In particular, the statement stated that genocide never happens by surprise. As a rule, it is preceded by manifestations of discrimination against a national, racial, or religious group and repeated cases of violation and violation of human rights. The countries joining the declaration once again undertook to prevent genocides and other crimes against humanity.

The joint statement emphasized that by drawing the world's attention to the situations that can lead to such crimes, further action and concerted efforts are needed to put prevention into practice.

We have included the complete statement below for you.

"I have the honor to be presented with this statement by forty-one countries covering all regional groups of the United Nations. We welcome Special Rapporteur Nderitu and reaffirm our continued support for the work of the Secretary-General's Office of Advisers on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.

This year we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It was the first human rights document to be adopted by the UN General Assembly, one day before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. Together, these two documents outlined a vision of a world in which genocide and other crimes against humanity would be prevented and punished.

This anniversary provides an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to achieving this goal and reflect on positive experiences and challenges related to the implementation of this convention.

Genocide never happens by surprise. As a rule, it is preceded by manifestations of discrimination against a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, as well as repeated cases of violation and violation of human rights.

We commit to mobilizing our political will to prevent genocide and other crimes against humanity by applying the Secretary-General's analytical framework for crimes against humanity. There is no excuse for failure to respond clearly to situations involving the threat of genocide.

We emphasize the role of the UN human rights system, including this Council, the Office of the High Commissioner, special rapporteurs, and treaty bodies, in gathering information on human rights violations and international humanitarian law that may lead to genocide.

By drawing the world's attention to the situations that can lead to such crimes, further action and concerted efforts are needed to put prevention into practice."