International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica
A/RES/78/282
A/RES/78/282
This authority record treats the observance as a fixed annual date. The same month and day can be reused unless a stronger source changes the rule. Public-holiday or government status is never inferred from the observance name alone.
Overview
The International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica is observed on 11 July. The United Nations General Assembly established the Day to honour the victims, support survivors and families, preserve judicially established facts and strengthen education and prevention against genocide denial and future atrocity crimes.
The Day concerns events that international courts determined constituted genocide. Coverage should therefore rely on established judicial and United Nations records and should not reproduce denial, revisionism or collective blame against ethnic or religious communities.
Why it matters
The observance combines remembrance with prevention. It asks institutions and communities to preserve the historical record, reject denial and glorification of convicted war criminals, and learn from the consequences of hatred, dehumanization and international failure to protect civilians.
It also reinforces an important principle of international criminal law: responsibility for genocide and other crimes is individual and cannot be attributed collectively to an ethnic, religious or other community.
History
Germany and Rwanda sponsored the initiative that became revised draft resolution A/78/L.67/Rev.1, joined by a broad cross-regional group of co-sponsors.
On 23 May 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted A/RES/78/282 and designated 11 July as the annual International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.
The first International Day was observed on 11 July 2024. The date is historically anchored to 11 July 1995, when Bosnian Serb forces captured Srebrenica; executions and mass killings followed over the ensuing days.
The resolution also requested a United Nations outreach programme titled “The Srebrenica Genocide and the United Nations” to support remembrance and education.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
Germany and Rwanda, with a broad cross-regional group of co-sponsors
The UN observance material identifies Germany and Rwanda as sponsors of the initiative; the UN Digital Library preserves the broader sponsor list on revised draft A/78/L.67/Rev.1.
United Nations General Assembly
A/RES/78/282
First documented observance
The UN Secretary-General and UN genocide-prevention material explicitly identify 11 July 2024 as the first International Day.
What the evidence establishes
Verified institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Fields that the reviewed sources do not establish remain fail-closed and are available below without competing with the confirmed record.
3 fields not established in reviewed sources
Ways to observe
Use UN, ICTY, IRMCT and ICJ materials to study the established historical and judicial record rather than unsourced social-media claims.
Centre victims, survivors and families in remembrance activities, using testimony with care and respecting dignity and consent.
Teach how hate speech, dehumanization, denial and glorification of atrocity crimes can undermine prevention and reconciliation.
Discuss individual criminal responsibility and avoid assigning collective guilt to peoples, religions or ethnic groups.
Useful facts
The Day is observed on 11 July.
The General Assembly established it through A/RES/78/282 on 23 May 2024.
The initiative was sponsored by Germany and Rwanda and supported by a broad group of co-sponsors.
The first observance took place on 11 July 2024.
Srebrenica was captured on 11 July 1995, providing the historical anchor for the annual commemoration date.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
- Remembrance Civic Context Care.
Evidence & sources
Repeated links from the authority record, institutional provenance and editorial guide research are consolidated here. Badges show how each source is used; a contextual source is never treated as proof of establishment on its own.
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/78/282 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — revised draft A/78/L.67/Rev.1 and sponsors (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Secretary-General — first International Day message, 11 July 2024 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — About the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — List of International Days and Weeks (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Observances: who chooses them and how (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then use reviewed distinctions and related authority records to understand where this observance fits.
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica?
11 July The stored recurrence guidance is: 11 July.
Does International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica fall on the same date every year?
The authority record classifies it as fixed annual, so its month and day are reusable unless stronger evidence changes the rule.
Is International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: United Nations / international observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Germany and Rwanda, with a broad cross-regional group of co-sponsors.
Is International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica international or country-specific?
The record has international or global institutional scope: United Nations / international observance. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-05.
When is the Srebrenica genocide international day?
It is observed every year on 11 July.
When did the United Nations establish the Day?
The General Assembly adopted A/RES/78/282 on 23 May 2024, and the first observance followed on 11 July 2024.
Why is the observance on 11 July?
Srebrenica fell to Bosnian Serb forces on 11 July 1995; the genocide and mass killings unfolded in the days that followed. The UN designated that anniversary date for annual reflection and commemoration.
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