Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ

women listening to man reading off list
In 1995, a government soldier reads out the names of confirmed survivors or escapees from the fallen city of Srebrenica.
Photo:? Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF

The genocide in Srebrenica

The war that followed the breakup of the former Yugoslavia claimed more than 100,000 lives in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995, mostly of Bosnian Muslims, and displaced more than two million others.

The massacre in Srebrenica marked one of the darkest chapters of that war.

In July 1995, the Bosnian Serb army overran Srebrenica - previously declared a safe area under - and brutally murdered thousands of men and teenagers there. The remainder of the Bosnian Muslim population present in Srebrenica ¨C approximately 25,000 women, children and elderly - were forcibly transferred out of the enclave.

This was the largest massacre in Europe since the Holocaust.

To date, only a few events have been determined by competent judicial bodies to constitute genocide. The  (ICJ) and the (ICTY) recognized the massacre of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica by the army of Republika Srpska as an act of genocide.

Remembering the victims

The genocide left deep emotional scars on the survivors, families of victims, and the Bosnian and Herzegovinian society in general, creating enduring obstacles to reconciliation among the country¡¯s different ethnic groups.

2025 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, in which more than 8,000 lives were lost, thousands were displaced and families and communities were devastated.

United Nations Special Advisers have repeatedly expressed concerns over continuous incidents of revisionism concerning atrocity crimes perpetrated during the 1992-1995 conflict, including unabated denial of the Srebrenica genocide and glorification of convicted war criminals.

Reflection, Commemoration and Outreach

A day of reflection and commemoration

In May 2024, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly, in a sponsored by Germany and Rwanda, designated 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.

The Assembly also asked the Secretary-General to establish an outreach programme entitled ¡°The Srebrenica Genocide and the United Nations¡±.

It further condemned any denial of the Srebrenica genocide as a historical event and called on Member States to preserve the established facts, including through their educational systems, towards preventing denial and distortion, and any occurrence of genocide in the future.

General Assembly annual observance

The 2026 observance of the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica took place on Thursday, 9 July 2026 in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Watch the observance on or .

Learn more about the 2026 events.

The Memory Keepers of Srebrenica follows three survivors, who returned to work at the Srebrenica-Poto?ari Memorial Center, built on the grounds of the former Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ base where thousands once sought refuge. Their work of remembrance now confronts a rising tide of denial. Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, President of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, reflects on why justice is a precondition for reconciliation, and why the facts, once proven, must be kept. The film was produced with the Srebrenica Genocide and the United Nations Outreach Programme, which works to preserve the judicially established facts of the genocide, counter denial, and support remembrance and education for new generations.

 

Memorial

Flower of Srebrenica ¨C Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Permanent Memorial

sculpture depicting white flower

The Flower of Srebrenica permanent Memorial, located in the United Nations Garden, United Nations Headquarters in New York, forms an integral part of the Srebrenica Genocide and the United Nations Outreach Programme, engaging visitors in reflection and commemoration. The Memorial stands as a symbol of remembrance and reflection, honouring the victims and survivors of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.

Read more about the Memorial

Exhibition

From Words to Violence: Lives Behind the Fields of Death

poster depicting face of woman in distress

The exhibition provides a glimpse into the horrors of the genocide perpetrated against Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica in July 1995. Through photographs of items from everyday life, the story reveals lives lived and lost, and families torn apart. The exhibition shows the consequences of hate speech and inaction in the face of hatred.

On display from 17 July to 28 August 2026 at United Nations Headquarters, New York.

Resources

icon of hand whose fingers turn to candles

The International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, 9 December, marks the anniversary of the 1948 . The Convention signifies the international community¡¯s commitment to ¡°never again¡± and provides the first international legal definition of genocide. 

candles and flowers

Learn from the past - safeguard the future

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly mandated The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme and The Outreach Programme on the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the United Nations to raise awareness of the past atrocities, their legacy, and the importance of preventing genocide.

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ observances.