Remembering Srebrenica is a UK based charitable organisation which raises awareness about the Bosnian genocide and educates people about what the UN called “the worst atrocity on European soil since World War Two”. The charity is the sole organiser of the annual Srebrenica Memorial Week which culminates in Srebrenica Memorial Day on July 11. Dr Waqar Azmi OBE founded Remembering Srebrenica in 2013 and remains Chairman, while Amil Khan is the Director of the charity. Remembering Srebrenica is part funded by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and works to build a better, safer, more cohesive society. This is done through ensuring the victims of the genocide are remembered, lessons are learned from the atrocity through educational visits and through community champions who pledge to stand up to hatred and intolerance.
Origins
In 2009, The European Parliament adopted the resolution on Srebrenica calling "on the Council and the Commission to commemorate appropriately the anniversary of the Srebrenica-Potočari act of genocide by supporting Parliament's recognition of 11 July as the day of commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide all over the EU, and to call on all the countries of the western Balkans to do the same". In implementing the European Parliament Resolution, Prime Minister David Cameron announced support for Remembering Srebrenica in 2013 on the 18th anniversary of Srebrenica Memorial Day. The Prime Minister said: "Srebrenica was a stark demonstration of what can happen when hatred, discrimination and evil are allowed to go unchecked. I am pleased that the government has been able to work with Remembering Srebrenica, an initiative dedicated to commemorating and honouring the victims of Srebrenica". On Srebrenica Memorial Day, Prime Minister David Cameron also "met with three survivors of the Srebrenica genocide at Downing Street. The survivors shared their experiences of Srebrenica, and the Prime Minister stressed how important it was that we never forget what happened during this most shameful moment in European history". In 2014, Foreign Secretary William Hague MP, and the Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for RefugeesAngelina Jolie during their visit to Srebrenica announced "new UK funding that will enable 750 young people from Britain to visit Srebrenica over the next two years through the Remembering Srebrenica programme, so that the lessons from the Bosnian conflict are never forgotten.
Support
The United Kingdom's Srebrenica Memorial Day received broad support. Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal DemocratsNick Clegg said: "It is our duty to teach the generations that follow us the devastation caused through discrimination, prejudice and racial hatred so that they learn to challenge it, which is why the Remembering Srebrenica project is so important". Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour Party said: "Despite the fact that the genocide in Srebrenica took place during my life- time, public knowledge of this atrocity is low. Therefore we must begin by recognising that over 8,000 people were brutally murdered in Europe less than 20 years ago". The Archbishop of CanterburyJustin Welby said: "That was committed on the basis of ethnic and religious identity requires us all, especially religious leaders, to be vigilant in the language we use and confront the discrimination and hate promoted in the name of religion". Cardinal Vincent Nichols said: "Srebrenica Memorial Day is an opportunity to salute the work of all those who have worked to shine a light on all that happened in the dark days of 1995". Chief RabbiEphraim Mirvis stated that "Remembering painful truths about the past is the key to our shared quest for a better and more tolerant world".
Work
Srebrenica Memorial Day
The UK held its first Srebrenica Memorial Day in 2013 to mark the 18th anniversary of the atrocity with survivors, senior politicians and religious leaders paying their respects to the victims at Lancaster House in central London including Foreign Secretary William Hague, Secretary of StateEric Pickles, Shadow Secretary of StateHilary Benn, Lord Paddy AshdownCardinalVincent Nichols. The Independent ran the story of a survivor, Saliha Osmanovic whose whole family including her husband, Ramo, and son, Nermin were murdered and BBC interviewed the survivor, Hasan Nuhanovic. The Prime Minister David Cameron met the survivors at Downing Street. In 2014, a whole week of memorial events were held with over 600 acts of remembrance including three national Srebrenica Memorial Days in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg met the survivors. Survivors were also hosted by Lambeth Palace and Scotland’s External Affairs and International Development Minister, Humza Yousaf at Bute House. In 2015, the 20th anniversary of Srebrenica Memorial Day was held at Westminster Abbey.
Lessons from Srebrenica visits programme
'Lessons from Srebrenica' is a flagship education programme established to help strengthen British society, with over 1,450 people taking part from the UK since 2013. These individuals come from all walks of life, all ethnicities, and all faiths or none, but have one thing in common: the desire to promote positive change within their local community by agreeing to undertake a pledge to promote community cohesion and integration. The participants play an important role in arranging memorial events and other activities across the country, working together with Remembering Srebrenica’s eight English regional boards and three country boards.
Education
Working together with schools across the UK, Remembering Srebrenica has educated over 100,000 young people about Srebrenica in the past six years. The charity provides learning resources such as lesson plans and assembly presentations to support teachers in educating both primary and secondary school pupils. It also facilitates the 'We Are One' football tournament in schools and youth groups, which is supported by the FA, Kick it Out, the ESFA, Show Racism the Red Card and footballer Asmir Begovic.
In 2019, the charity also began the Conflict Transformation and Srebrenica programme, which is funded by the PEACE IV programme and supported by Mid and East Antrim Council in Northern Ireland. This programme teaches young leaders aged 18-25 from Mid and East Antrim about Srebrenica and helps them make links to their own communities.
