Ceremony to commemorate the 18th Anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 11, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Ceremony to commemorate the 18th Anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda

What Ceremony to commemorate the 18th Anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda

Who The Kenya Government, United Nations and the Rwanda High Commission

When Thursday 12, April 2012, 10.00 –11.00 am

Where High Commission of the Republic of Rwanda - Kenya (Limuru Road)

The United Nations Information Centre and the Rwanda High Commission in Kenya cordially invite the media to attend and cover the ceremony to mark the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda.

The programme of the day will include messages from the Government of Kenya, United Nations Secretary-General, and the Rwanda High Commission.

This year's theme is “learning from history to shape a bright future”, emphasizing the need to learn from the past in order to avoid future atrocities.

Following the official ceremony at the Rwanda High Commission, a 30 minute “Walk to Remember” procession will take place at 11:30 am. You are invited to join the procession which will depart from the Rwanda High Commission for the United Nations Main Gate and back to the High Commission. Refreshments will be served thereafter.

The International Day ofReflection on the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda was mandated by the UN General Assembly on 23 December, 2003, through resolution AJRES/58/234. The resolution encourages member states, Organizations of the UN system and other relevant international organizations, as well as civil society organizations, to observe the Day and hold special observances and activities in memory of the victims of the genocide. The resolution also calls upon all states to act in accordance with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide so as to ensure that there is no repetition of events of the kind that occurred in Rwanda in 1994.