Secretary-General Michele Capasso, Director Pia Molinari, the members of the Executive Council and the International Committee, the Council of Ambassadors, the heads of the branch offices and all the members of the United States of the World and the autonomous sections of Fondazione Mediterraneo, Accademia del Mediterraneo and Kimyya express their heartfelt condolences on the death of the Honourable Claudio Azzolini, founding member and architect of the development of the United States of the World and Fondazione Mediterraneo.
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17 November 2025
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) -
Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)
The inauguration ceremony for a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide of 11 July 1995 was held at the United Nations headquarters.
Denis Bećirović, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, gave a speech in the presence of Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković at the inauguration of the “Flower of Srebrenica” memorial, located in the garden of the United Nations headquarters.
Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, emphasised the importance and symbolic significance of the memorial in her speech.
‘Our children were killed just because they had a different name, were called differently and were Muslims,’ said Munira Subašić, president of the Association of Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa, speaking to more than 100 people on a cold but sunny November afternoon in New York.
She has spent 30 years advocating for the more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys killed in the UN-protected enclave of Srebrenica.
"We are still here: this flower means that we are still here and that there will be more and more of us", Ms Subašić said.
The marble flower has 11 white petals surrounding a green centre. The petals represent 11 July, the UN-designated International Day of Reflection and Remembrance of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica. The white symbolises the innocence of the victims; the green recalls the shroud placed on Muslims at the moment of death, but also new growth and hope.
Despite the horrors of 1995, Ms Subašić said that the survivors “raised our children without revenge, without hatred”, calling the children the new generation.
Representing the new generation was her 12-year-old grandson Karim, who skipped school in Bosnia and Herzegovina today to attend the ceremony. In 1995, he lost his grandfather and great-uncle, as well as 70 other members of his family.
Secretary-General Michele Capasso sent a message emphasising the importance of the memorial and, in particular, the “Majke” (“Mothers”) programme, which will give voice to the pain of all mothers around the world, starting with the Mothers of Srebrenica.
A delegation from the "United States of the World" and the "Fondazione Mediterraneo" participated in the celebrations and Holy Mass on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the painting of the Blessed Virgin of Pompeii.
The "United States of the World" and the “Fondazione Mediterraneo” organised and participated in various events around the world to celebrate "World Cities Day", established by the UN General Assembly in 2013 with the aim of promoting international interest and cooperation between countries to address the challenges of urbanisation and contribute to sustainable urban development.