UN chief calls for rejecting hate speech, discrimination

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of "a dangerous trend of rising xenophobia, racism and intolerance" in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda.

He also called on all political, religious and civil society leaders to reject hate speech and discrimination, and to work vigorously to address and mitigate the root causes that undermine the social cohesion and create conditions for hatred and intolerance.

In his message for the remembrance, which will be observed on Sunday, Guterres described the genocide as one of the darkest chapters in recent human history.

While "we honor those who were murdered and reflect on the suffering and resilience of those who survived," he said, "a dangerous trend of rising xenophobia, racism and intolerance" is taking place in many parts of the world.

Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has said a series of events will mark the anniversary at UN headquarters and around the world in the month of April.

April 7 marks the start of the 1994 genocide which lasted for about 100 days to mid-July 1994.

In 2003, the UN General Assembly designated April 7 as the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda.

In 2018, the assembly amended the title of the annual observance to the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, recalling also that Hutu and others who opposed it were killed.