Ban Ki-Moon Speaks on Genocide Without Mentioning Darfur

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon opened the exhibition 'Lessons From Rwanda' at the UN HQ in New York last night. In his speech he made two significant announcements about the UN's policy on genocide but failed to mention the elephant in the room.

"Lessons From Rwanda' was created by The Aegis Trust for genocide prevention and shows the international community's failure to protect and the horrible human cost that resulted. It is a concise, powerful and brilliantly curated exhibition that was originally scheduled to open on April 9th to coincide with the 13th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. However a controversy erupted at the UN over the exhibition's reference to the Armenian genocide and in deference to complaints by the Turkish delegation it was postponed until last night.

Ban Ki-Moon announced his intention to upgrade the Office of Special Advisor on Genocide and to 'operationalize' the September 15th 2005 "Responsibility To Protect" edict. Clearly these are important and welcome advances.

What was less welcome is that on the day after Sundays 'Global Day for Darfur', in which rallies were held in over 300 cities worldwide, the Secretary General failed to mention the genocide in Darfur and in an oblique reference to the Armenian/Turkish controversy asked us not to dwell on history. So, as political expediency once more trumps moral urgency at the UN, let us not forget that as many as 400,000 people have died in the conflict in Darfur and over 2.5 million more have been displaced.

There are many lessons to be learned from the Rwandan genocide and it is to the credit of the Rwandan government that they do not flinch from recognizing and acknowledging these lessons. Their Ambassador and the Armenian Ambassador were present. The Ambassadors whose governments have blood on their hands and have most to learn from this exhibit were absent. Let's hope they drop by on the way to meetings over the next few days. The evidence is there, the facts irrefutable and the ironies too apparent for anyone to ignore.

This exhibition could not have been more timely and it's presence in the foyer of the UN itself an astonishing reminder of the repeated failure of the might of the UN to fulfill its promise and purpose.

If Ban Ki-Moon could act to end the genocide taking place on his watch he might redeem both his tenure and the institution he serves.