Remarks by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Special Event to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, January 21, 2015

Remarks by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Special Event to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, January 21, 2015: "Now, what do the stories of Captain Mbaye and Father Bernard teach us about stopping mass atrocities? We often – and we especially here at the United Nations often – speak about the failure to prevent genocide in terms of structures and institutions; and of course, structures matter a great deal. But whether they work or not ultimately comes down to the efforts of individuals. And our greatest failures in preventing genocide have come not when individuals have tried to save lives and failed. No, our greatest failures have come when – whether out of fear or feelings of futility or political considerations – people have not tried in the first place.

The impact made by Captain Mbaye and Father Bernard demonstrates just how much can be achieved when people are willing to take risks to defend the lives of others. For while it is true that their individual efforts did not, and could not, stop the massive atrocities being committed in Rwanda or today in the Central African Republic, together, two individuals saved thousands of lives. Just two men, whose only weapons were their courage and a commitment to helping people in their greatest time of need. A Senegalese peacekeeper saving Rwandans, international journalists, and aid workers; and a Togolese Catholic priest saving Muslims. As Father Bernard has put it: “It’s not that we made a specific decision to help Muslims. It’s that our mission is to protect the weakest and most vulnerable.”"



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