Source: UN News: Friday, December 12, 2025 00:01 AM
Chaloka Bayani, the newly appointed UN advisor on the prevention of genocide, has warned that the trend of targeting civilians in conflicts and wars is increasing in many places in the world, due to which the risk of atrocities and crimes has also increased. In such a situation, there has also been a worrying decline in respect for international law. Chaloka Bayani on 9 December, International Day of Remembrance and Dignity of the Victims of Genocide and the Prevention of this Crime Speaking to UN News on the occasion of 2015, he also compared the genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica in the context of today’s crises. “We are seeing massive violations of international human rights law, direct attacks on civilians, and flagrant violations of international humanitarian law,” he said. “The risk of atrocities, and indeed the practice of committing atrocities, is very, very high.” He mentioned the terrible violence in Sudan and described it as a vivid example. The Darfur war was investigated by a UN commission in the 1990s, and violence continues there decades later. “Nothing has changed. After the fall of the civilian government, the crisis has worsened.”Sudan: Outrage over ‘unimaginable cruelty’ in Al Fashar, urge to take steps to stop violenceThe Office of Responsibility for the Prevention of Genocide and Protection of Civilians, within the UN, serves as an early warning system. This system alerts the Secretary-General, the Security Council and the broader UN system when it detects the risk of atrocity crimes, including genocide. Chaloka Bayani said that this office, which came into existence in 1948 – takes help from the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and judicial cases related to genocide and analyzes 14 elements. These include a wide range of elements, from armed conflicts and wars targeting ethnic and religious groups, to hate speech, and the breakdown of the rule of law. © UNICEF/Mohammed Jamal What is Genocide? Genocide is made up of two main words – the Greek word genos, which means people, race or tribe, and the Latin word cide – which means murder. According to international law, genocide involves carrying out any of these activities with the intention of partially or completely destroying a national, racial, ethnic or religious group. Is…(Ref: Article-II of Genocide Convention)1. Killing members of a group.2. Causing serious physical and mental harm to members of a group.3. Imposing such conditions of life on any group, which are intended to cause partial or complete physical destruction of that group.4. Imposing measures intended to prevent the birth of children on a group.5. Forced transfer of children from one group to another group. Chaloka Bayani said that when these risks show a regular violent trend, the office issues advisories and coordinates with UN officials, regional organizations such as the African Union and the European Union, and other international systems. “Once our office raises the alarm, it means the extent of the threat,” she said. Chaloka Bayani stressed that his office turns to international courts for help in determining whether the crime of genocide has occurred, “Our role is not to determine the circumstances of genocide, but to prevent it.” © UNICEF/Mohammed NatelICJIn 2012, Thomas, a Congolese armed leader, was convicted of recruiting children for use in hostilities, following which other similar armed leaders publicly denounced child recruitment. Chaloka Bayani also gave the example of the ICJ issuing temporary measures to enforce the Convention on the Prevention of Genocide in Gaza, in which South Africa appealed to Israel. The prevention of genocide involves accountability, he said. Emerging Risks The emerging risks that the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide is monitoring include disinformation, disinformation and hate speech. His office is in touch with technology companies like Meta and Google to deal with incitement on online forums. Additionally, at the local level, it works with religious and community leaders to combat hate speech. According to the Special Adviser, environmental degradation and climate change are also factors leading to conflicts and wars. He pointed out that tribal communities are often targeted in land and natural resource expropriations, while these groups are in desperate need of protection. Despite the gravity of the mandate entrusted to this office, the Special Adviser resorts to diplomacy to prevent genocide and avoids public condemnation. Chaloka implicitly said that his office UN Secretary General and communicates quietly to advise the Security Council, issuing public statements only when necessary. Looking to the future, he said the prevention of genocide requires action as well as remembering the past. By remembering past genocides, we all keep in mind the founding principle of the United Nations – ‘never again’. And referring to the UN Day in Memory and Honor of the Victims, she said, “Remembrance alone is not enough. We must strengthen our instruments, build trust and take action at the very early levels.”
