The monument was installed in the north garden area at the UN offices on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, coinciding with the 79th session of the UN General Assembly which opened on Tuesday.
Mellisa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General of Global Communications at the UN, termed the installation of the monument as a permanent tribute to more than one million people who were systematically killed during the 100 days of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
"The Kwibuka Flame of Hope will burn forever as a visual reminder for the international community and all visitors coming here to the United Nations on the need to speak out and say no to hate," Fleming stated.
'It serves as a solemn reminder of the responsibility that we, as diplomats and representatives of the international community, bear in preventing atrocities. The flame urges us to act when confronted with the early warning signs of mass violence, to ensure that the lessons of Rwanda are not forgotten.'
The Genocide followed years of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech exacerbating ethnic tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi communities in Rwanda.
The international community is blamed for its inaction to stop the Genocide which left many more victims injured and raped.
Rwanda's Permanent Mission to the UN said the Kwibuka Flame of Hope monument 'serves as a powerful reminder of the shared responsibility to prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again."
The inscription on the statue "The 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda Remember â€" Unite â€" Renew" emphasizes the importance of remembering, uniting, and rebuilding as a nation to ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for all Rwandans, while honouring the memory of those lost.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/kwibuka-flame-of-hope-monument-erected-at-un-headquarters
