Security Council resolution 2150 (2014) [on prevention and fight against genocide and other serious crimes under international law]
Symbol: S/RES/2150 (2014)
Date: 2014-04-16
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/69 [33] HUMAN RIGHTS
S/69 [95] RWANDA SITUATION
Subjects: Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)|GENOCIDE|GENOCIDE PREVENTION|RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT|SIGNATURES, ACCESSIONS, RATIFICATIONS
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: ARGENTINA
vote: yes
country: AUSTRALIA
vote: yes
country: CHAD
vote: yes
country: CHILE
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: JORDAN
vote: yes
country: LITHUANIA
vote: yes
country: LUXEMBOURG
vote: yes
country: NIGERIA
vote: yes
country: REPUBLIC OF KOREA
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: RWANDA
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                     S/RES/2150 (2014)
               Security Council                                                 Distr.: General
                                                                                16 April 2014




               Resolution 2150 (2014)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 7155th meeting, on
               16 April 2014

                    The Security Council,
                    Reaffirming the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of
               Human Rights, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
               of Genocide,
                     Further reaffirming the significance of the Convention on the Prevention and
               Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as an effective international instrument for
               the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide, emphasizing that the crime
               of genocide as recognized in this Convention, is an odious scourge that has inflicted
               great losses on humanity, and that further international cooperation is required to
               facilitate the timely prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide,
                     Recognizing that States bear the primary responsibility to respect and ensure
               the human rights of their citizens, as well as other individuals within their territory
               as provided for by relevant international law,
                    Acknowledging the important role played by regional and subregional
               arrangements in the prevention of, and response to, situations that may lead to
               genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially noting Article 4(h) of
               the Constitutive Act of the African Union,
                    Recalling the important role of the Secretary-General’s Special Advisers on
               the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect, whose functions
               include acting as an early warning mechanism to prevent potential situations that
               could result in genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing,
                      Recalling the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
               (ICTR), established pursuant to its resolution 955 (1994) for the sole purpose of
               prosecuting persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of
               international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda and Rwandan
               citizens responsible for genocide and other such violations committed in the
               territory of neighbouring States, between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994,
               and further recalling that genocide involves intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a
               national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such,




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                    Recalling the conclusions of the final report (S/1994/1405) of the Commission
               of Experts, established pursuant to Security Council resolution 935 (1994), among
               which included that “there exists overwhelming evidence to prove that acts of
               genocide against the Tutsi group were perpetrated,” and noting that during the
               genocide, Hutu and others who opposed it were also killed,
                     Recalling that the Appeals Chamber of the ICTR issued, on 16 June 2006, a
               judicial notice (ICTR-98-44-AR73(C)) concluding that it was a “fact of common
               knowledge” that “between 6 April and 17 July 1994, there was a genocide in
               Rwanda against the Tutsi ethnic group”, further recalling that more than a million
               people were killed during the genocide, including Hutu and others who opposed it,
               and noting with concern any form of denial of that genocide,
                    Noting with concern that many genocide suspects continue to elude justice,
               including the remaining nine ICTR-indicted fugitives,
                     Reaffirming its strong opposition to impunity for serious violations of
               international humanitarian law and human rights law, and emphasizing in this
               context the responsibility of States to comply with their re levant obligations to end
               impunity and, to that end, to thoroughly investigate and prosecute persons
               responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, or other serious
               violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, in
               order to avoid their recurrence and to seek sustainable peace, justice, truth and
               reconciliation,
                     Stressing that the fight against impunity and to ensure accountability for
               genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other egregious crimes has been
               strengthened through the work on and prosecution of these crimes in the
               international criminal justice system, ad hoc and mixed tribunals as well as
               specialized chambers in national tribunals; and recognizing in this regard the
               contribution of the International Criminal Court, in accordance with the principle of
               complementarity to national criminal jurisdictions as set out in the Rome Statute,
               towards holding accountable those responsible for such crimes, and reiterating its
               call on the importance of State cooperation with these courts and tribunals in
               accordance with the States’ respective obligations,
                    Recognizing the contribution made by the ICTR to the fight against impunity
               and the development of international criminal justice, especially in re lation to the
               crime of genocide,
                     Noting that the prosecution of persons responsible for genocide and other
               serious international crimes, through the national justice system, including the
               Gacaca Courts of Rwanda, and the ICTR, contributed to the process o f national
               reconciliation and to the restoration and maintenance of peace in Rwanda,
                     Recalling that leaders and members of the Democratic Forces for the
               Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), were among the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide
               against the Tutsi in Rwanda, during which Hutu and others who opposed the
               genocide were also killed, further recalling that the FDLR is a group under United
               Nations sanctions, operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and
               which has continued to promote and commit ethnically based and other killings in
               Rwanda and in the DRC, and stressing the importance of neutralizing this group, in
               line with the Security Council resolution 2098 (2013),



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                Recalling that the General Assembly has, on 23 December 2003, designated
           the date of 7th April as “the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide
           in Rwanda”,
                Emphasizing the particular importance of all forms of education in order to
           prevent the commission of future genocides,
                1.    Calls upon States to recommit to prevent and fight against genocide, and
           other serious crimes under international law, reaffirms paragraphs 138 and 139 of
           the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document ( A/60/L.1) on the responsibility to
           protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against
           humanity, and underscores the importance of taking into account lessons learned
           from the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, during which Hutu and others
           who opposed the genocide were also killed;
                2.    Condemns without reservation any denial of this Genocide, and urges
           Member States to develop educational programmes that will inculcate future
           generations with the lessons of the Genocide in order to help prevent future
           genocides;
                 3.   Welcomes efforts by Member States to investigate and prosecute those
           accused of this genocide, calls upon all States to cooperate with the ICTR, the
           International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and the G overnment of
           Rwanda in the arrest and prosecution of the remaining nine ICTR -indicted fugitives,
           and further calls upon States to investigate, arrest, prosecute or extradite, in
           accordance with applicable international obligations, all other fugitives accu sed of
           genocide residing on their territories, including those who are FDLR leaders;
                 4.   Requests the Secretary-General to ensure greater collaboration between
           existing early warning mechanisms for genocide prevention and other serious
           international crimes, in order to help to detect, assess and respond to sources of
           tension and points of risks or identify vulnerable populations;
                5.    Calls upon States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention
           on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Ge nocide to consider doing so as
           a matter of high priority and, where necessary, to enact national legislation in order
           to meet their obligations under that Convention.




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