Vienna, 9 April 2026 — Members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to United Nations Office at Vienna, representatives of the international community, the Rwandan community in Austria, and friends of Rwanda gathered today at the Vienna International Centre to observe the 32^nd Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

The ceremony opened with the lighting of candles and the observance of a minute of silence in memory of the more than one million victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. 

The programme featured the message of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, delivered by Mr. John Brandolino, Acting Director-General of United Nations Office at Vienna and Acting Executive Director of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In his remarks, he called on all to stand firm in shared values, live up to commitments, and strengthen institutions that can help prevent catastrophe.

The ceremony also included a moving testimony by genocide survivor Ms. Yvonne Buhikare, whose intervention drew from her book, ‘’Ils vont nous tuer’’. Her testimony served as a poignant reminder of the duty to preserve historical truth, honour the memory of the victims, and transmit the lessons of the Genocide to future generations.

In her remarks, Rwanda’s envoy to Austria and to the United Nations Office at Vienna and other international organizations, Ambassador Urujeni Bakuramutsa, emphasized the imperative of genocide prevention and early vigilance.

“The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda was not spontaneous. It was meticulously planned and executed by an identifiable chain of political and military command. The lesson of Rwanda is also that genocide does not begin with mass killing. It begins early and with consistent dehumanization, organized hate, tolerated incitement, and the dangerous normalization of violence. Remembrance must sharpen our ability to recognize warning signs early, before hatred hardens into policy and violence.”

She further underscored that remembrance must remain inseparable from truth, justice, and prevention, and renewed the call for the international community to confront denial, distortion, and genocide ideology wherever they emerge.

The ceremony also featured musical performances by students from Class 5B of GRG 23 Alterlaa in Vienna and Ms. Sylvie Imenimena, providing a solemn space for collective reflection and remembrance. 

In Austria, the 32^nd  Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda will continue on 11 April 2026 with a commemorative event hosted by the Rwandan diaspora in Austria in Tyrol, bringing together members of the community and friends of Rwanda for continued remembrance and reflection.