STATEMENT BY

 

MR AHMAD GHAZALI BIN MUHAMAD NADZRI

COUNSELLOR

PERMANENT MISSION OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS

 

AT THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO MARK THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COMMEMORATION AND DIGNITY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE AND OF THE PREVENTION OF THIS CRIME

 

 

Madam President,

 

1.         Today marks the tenth anniversary of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of This Crime. On 9 December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the Genocide Convention, to which Malaysia is a State Party. Malaysia reaffirms its steadfast commitment to employing appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian, and peaceful means, consistent with Chapters VI and VIII of the United Nations Charter, to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.

 

Madam President,

 

2.         Malaysia’s position has always been clear. Genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression constitute the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, and their perpetrators must be held to account. Ending impunity is not merely a legal necessity but a moral imperative that underpins global peace and security.

 

3.         Malaysia commends South Africa for instituting proceedings before the International Court of Justice against Israel, a timely and concrete step towards ensuring legal accountability for the grave atrocities occurring in Gaza. Palestinians, like all civilians, are entitled to protection under international law and from genocidal war. They must not be dehumanised or treated as lesser beings unworthy of dignity and rights. They must be protected from being killed, displaced, or subjected to destructive conditions in their homeland.

 

4.         Israel, like any other aggressor country, must be held accountable. Impunity only encourages further violations and threatens the rules-based international order that this Organisation has collectively sought to uphold.

 

Madam President,

 

5.         Malaysia is deeply concerned by the findings of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, which has presented compelling evidence that acts of genocide are being committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Commission concluded, inter alia, that Israeli authorities and security forces have killed members of the group, caused serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicted conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction in whole or in part, and imposed measures intended to prevent births within the group. The Commission further found that these acts were carried out with genocidal intent, based on the totality of evidence gathered.

 

6.         Malaysia concurs with the Commission that Israel bears responsibility for failing to prevent genocide, for committing genocide, and for failing to punish the perpetrators. Malaysia, therefore, calls upon the international community to ensure that Israel is held fully accountable for its persistent violations of international law, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Justice must be delivered, not deferred.

 

Madam President,

 

7.         As we mark this solemn anniversary, we must reaffirm our collective responsibility to end genocide, including in Gaza. The situation in Gaza underscores the urgency of acting with unity and conviction. Malaysia remains resolute in advocating for justice, accountability, and the protection of all civilians.

 

8.         Upholding the principles of the Genocide Convention demands more than commemoration; it requires action. By strengthening our preventive mechanisms, responding decisively to ongoing atrocities, and holding perpetrators accountable, we honour the memory of victims, past and present, and move closer to a world anchored in peace, dignity, and the rule of law.

 

Thank you.