SÃO PAULO – On April 28–29, São Paulo hosted The First International Congress on Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, and Human Rights, organized by the Armenian Embassy in Brazil, “UGAB” Brazil (AGBU), and the Catholic University of São Paulo. The two-day conference, which included international participants, was dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Prominent experts, human rights advocates, and researchers from Brazil, Argentina, the United States, and other countries took part in the conference. Throughout the congress, discussions focused on past and present human rights violations, mechanisms for preventing genocide, and the role of the international community in combating such crimes.
The opening speeches were delivered by Armen Yeganian, Ambassador of Armenia to Brazil, and Alexander Alvarez, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northern Arizona University.
In his remarks, Ambassador Yeganian addressed the atrocities committed against the Armenian people during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. He highlighted that the Republic of Armenia remains actively engaged in efforts aimed at identifying and issuing early warnings of such crimes, as well as ensuring timely responses, prevention, and elimination of atrocities.
Yeganian underscored that Armenia places great importance on genocide prevention and consistently raises the issue within various United Nations mechanisms, including the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). He also noted that Armenia regularly initiates resolutions on genocide prevention within the UN framework.