World Genocide Commemoration Day is a holiday that’s observed annually on December 9th and highlights the horrors of past genocides so that future genocides can be averted. This day commemorates the anniversary of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

This was the first human rights treaty drawn up and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It’s a day for the governments of the world to work towards a genocide-free future, but it’s also a holiday on which people are tasked with remembering the horrors of the Holocaust so that it never happens again.

The History Of World Genocide Commemoration Day

In 1948, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the United National General Assembly. This convention illustrated the will of the international community to never let another incident such as the Holocaust happen again.

It also laid out the first international legal definition for the genocide that was adopted widely at the national and international levels. Not long after, the holiday World Genocide Commemoration Day was created to commemorate that date.

Facts About The Holocaust

Below are some of the facts about the Holocaust that we’d like everyone reading this to think about while they’re observing World Genocide Commemoration Day.

• Of the 6-million Jewish people killed during the Holocaust, approximately 1.5 million of them were children.
• Only 10% of the Germans who worked at Auschwitz were ever put on trial.
• The earliest victims of the Nazi mass murder machine were people who had disabilities.

Observing World Genocide Commemoration Day

This is a day for the citizens of the world to learn more about the Holocaust and other genocides that have happened through the years. Not just to remind themselves of the horrors of the past, but also so they can work towards ensuring a future where no genocide ever occurs again.

It’s also a day on which governments should make sure that genocide never happens within their borders and wherever it exists in the world, it’s stamped out as soon as possible.