The Social Sciences Research Center hosted Dr. Alija Kožljak, the head of cabinet of BiH Presidency member and current Presidency chairperson Dr. Denis Bećirović and current an adjunct professor at the Department of International Relations and European Studies at International Burch University, for a discussion on the current events surrounding the adoption of the draft Resolution on the Genocide in Srebrenica by the United Nations General Assembly.
Germany and Rwanda, countries with lived experiences of genocide, introduced to the floor of the UN General Assembly a seven point resolution establishing July 11th as a UN international day, condemning the genocide and those who glorify it, and calls on member states, the UN system, and others to contribute to the preservation of the memory of the Srebrenica Genocide.
The two countries were subsequently joined by almost two dozen other countries as co-sponsors, including Albania, Canada, Chile, France, Italy, Ireland, Jordan, Lichtenstein, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, the United States, and Vanuatu. Notably, Bosnia and Herzegovina is not among the cosponsors.
In July 1995, Bosnian Serb military and paramilitary forces entered the UN protected Srebrenica enclave, after the UN battalion from the Netherlands surrendered the town, and proceeded to murder over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys, deport over 20,000 women and children, and then mutilate bodies of the dead from mass grave to mass grave in a vain attempt to conceal proof of this atrocity.
Dr. Kožljak discussed the early stages of the initiative to propose such a resolution, following the failure of the adoption of a similar resolution by the UN Security Council in 2015 due to Russia’s veto, noting that the majority of preparatory work done to laid the groundwork for the Resolution on the Genocide in Srebrenica was done covertly in order to limit the adverse influence of malign actors that were deemed likely to combat the adoption thereof.
This approach to getting formal recognition of the Srebrenica Genocide - on top of decisions made by international courts – requires more work and greater efforts due to the large number of bilateral meetings, advocacy activities, and the number of sessions by various UNGA organs but was deemed to be the only viable course of action.
Even so, certain international actors – most notably Serbia and Russia - are adamant to stop the adoption of the resolution and are investing significant efforts to do so, such as intense lobbying activities across the world and the UN headquarters in New York and leveraging their relationships with partners.
Their primary line of argumentation consists of characterizing an entire people as genocidal, conjuring previous unsubstantiated claims of war reparations, and seeking to undermine administrative divisions within Bosnia and Herzegovina; however, the draft resolution, according to Dr. Kožljak, does no such thing.
Instead, the aforementioned resolution:
- designates July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Remembrance of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, which is to be observed annually;
- unreservedly condemns any denial of the Srebrenica genocide and calls on member states to preserve the established facts, including through their education systems, by developing appropriate programs, also in remembrance, towards preventing revisionism and the appearance of genocides in it;
- unreservedly condemns actions that glorify those convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, including those responsible for the Srebrenica genocide;
- emphasizes the importance of completing the process of finding and identifying the remaining victims of the Srebrenica genocide and burial with dignity and calls for continued prosecution of the perpetrators of the Srebrenica genocide;
- urges all states to comply fully with their obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, as applicable, and customary international law on the prevention and punishment of genocide, bearing in mind the relevant decisions of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia;
- requests the secretary-general to establish an information program entitled “The Srebrenica Genocide and the United Nations,” starting its activities with preparations for the 30th anniversary in 2025, and further requests the secretary-general to bring the resolution present to the attention of all member states, organizations of the United Nations system and civil society organizations for due respect; and
- invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, other international and regional organizations and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and other interested parties to observe the International Day, including commemorations and activities special memorials and tributes to the victims of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica, as well as appropriate education and public awareness activities.
This is largely why the date of the vote and its eventual adoption isn’t as important as the fact that the draft resolution does indeed get voted upon and adopted. The decision to delay the vote from the expected May 2 date to likely May 6 is a tactical one, according to Dr. Kožljak, aimed to gather the most support and ensure the ultimate objective of adopting the resolution by May 15 be fulfilled.
Ms. Satka Hajdarpašić, the charge d’ Affairs of the Embassy of Montenegro in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was also present.
Dr. Alija Kožljak is the head of cabinet of BiH Presidency member and current chairperson Dr. Denis Bećirović. He is also an adjunct professor at the Department of International Relations and European Studies at International Burch University, where he most recently served as the aforementioned department’s head, as well as BiH’s military representative to NATO. Dr. Kožljak has a rich military career, ultimately rising to the rank of brigadier general and, upon retirement, entering the civil service in the defense sector.
Transcript of the guest lecture is available here.