Deputy Ambassador Brown remembers the victims of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighting that we must learn the lessons of history
Thank you, Mr Chair.
On 11 July we paused to remember the victims of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to honour the survivors.
Mr Chair, 28 years ago in Srebrenica, genocide took place in Europe for the first time since 1945. The genocide claimed the lives of over 8,000 mostly Muslim men and boys and led to the displacement of over 20,000 women and children who were forcibly expelled from their homes. We honour the memory of those killed and pay tribute to the extraordinary courage and resilience shown by their families and by survivors. We stand with the families in their ongoing fight for justice.
The UK is committed to supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina in its efforts to build a secure, stable, inclusive society, and heal the fractures caused by conflict. It is regrettable that we continue to see divisive and dangerous nationalist rhetoric, threats of secession, and open challenges to the constitutional order established by the Dayton Peace Agreement. The UK is committed to a single, sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina, and will continue to take action in support of that. We also continue to urge political leaders to condemn any glorification of the perpetrators of war crimes and to take action against genocide denial.
Mr. Chair, as was the case in 2022, we remember Srebrenica this year in the shadow of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. We must learn the lessons of history. Terrible events such as the genocide at Srebrenica show the consequences of inaction. We owe it to the victims to create societies that are stable, inclusive, and cohesive, and to fight against prejudice, hatred, fear, and division wherever we find it. The greatest tribute we can give to those who lost their lives is to do everything we can to prevent such a horrific crime from ever being repeated.
As our Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans, James Heappey, said during the UK National Srebrenica Memorial Day Ceremony earlier this month, we will never forget Srebrenica. We can demonstrate that best by doing everything in our power to ensure that the senseless violence of 28 years ago is truly a thing of the past.
Thank you, Mr Chair.
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Deputy Head of UK Delegation to the OSCE, Vienna
Deirdre Brown MBE
Deirdre Brown is Deputy Head of the United Kingdom Delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe based in Vienna.
Deirdre joined the then Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 1986 and has served at UK missions in Dhaka, Bangkok, and Budapest, and at the Delegation to the OECD in Paris. Her roles have included time in a Minister’s Private Office, as a desk officer for Afghanistan, and as Head of the Russia Team. She has also worked on trade promotion, economic cooperation, conventional arms control, and international criminal justice. Her most recent role in London was deputy head of the United Nations and Multilateral Department.
Deirdre is married with 2 adult children.
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