Closing remarks by H. E. Göran Persson,
Prime Minister of Sweden

Your Royal Highness, Excellencies, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I opened this Stockholm International Forum: Preventing Genocide by stressing failure as our starting point.
I want to close it by stressing a new.
When we leave this hall, our will-power must be our starting point; admitting our failures, committed to make use of our will, as stated in the Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum we have just agreed upon, to help us go beyond the “never agains”.

Dear Friends,

This conference has made it very clear: we are running out of excuses!
As Professor Samantha Power made so clear in her speech in the Stockholm City Hall the other day: We do not lack, or do not have to lack, information. Make your organizations promote input on early warning signs of genocide!
We do not lack means to do something – responsibility is about using the tools available!
We do not lack political will – it is time for us to roll up our sleeves and show the world’s would-be perpetrators our resolve!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We do not leave this conference empty-handed.
Let me sum up, paraphrasing the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.We, participants of this Forum, are:
Conscious
That we, by the Declaration, agreed upon by all 55 participating countries gathered here in Stockholm, have made a lasting and strong commitment that we are ready to be held responsible for.
Mindful
Of the plea to us by the prosecutor of the now established and operational ICC, Luis Moreno Ocampo, to make use of his services, and the great support the International Criminal Court has received from an overwhelming majority of the participants at this conference.
Recognizing
The great support for the report of the international Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, “Responsibility to Protect”, that it deserves serious discussion in the UN as a next step, and that it calls on us to take responsibility for the whole of human kind, to protect our fellow human beings from extreme abuse.
Affirming
That we strongly welcome the ideas of Secretary-General of the United Nations to set up a UN Committee on the Prevention of Genocide, and to establish a Special Rapporteur with the authority and duty to report to the Security Council.
Determined
To take vigorous action to prevent future genocides and therefore to bring forward the Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum to all our fellow members in the United Nations systems, as well as our respective regional organizations.That the century we have recently left behind was a century scarred by genocide and other mass atrocities – in Rwanda, former Yugoslavia, Cambodia, and all over Europe after the Shoah and the Poraimos. And recalling that we must not cease in our quest to use remembrance, education and research as a means of preventing genocide in the future.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Many people are to be thanked. But first, let me say this.
The Stockholm International Forum series has made our capital an important meeting-place for a discussion on conscience and humanity, which previously rather lacked a home base. The make-up of the participants, with political leaders, experts, academics and NGO’s, has proved to be most fruitful. The Swedish Government has felt warm support and appreciation from all over the world.
We feel a strong commitment to the fundamental issues discussed in this series, and we will not let go of them, I can assure you of that.
We will carefully evaluate our experiences, to find out in what form further steps are best to be taken in this common and continuous task.
We sincerely hope that you, on your part, help to keep the spirit of Stockholm International Forum alive – within your governments, institutions, and organisations, and not least among citizens in your countries. To support this, we will put together and offer you all a comprehensive report on all four Stockholm International Forums.
The Swedish Government has deeply enjoyed hosting these Forums.We could not have managed without a large number of compassionate colleagues.

I would like to thank all delegations for their participation and valuable contributions to this Stockholm International Forum! Invited speakers, moderators, panellists, work-shop chairs and scholars – my warmest thanks to you for contributing your time and ideas.
My special thanks to two academic advisors of the conference, who have also played an invaluable role throughout this Forum series, Professor Yehuda Bauer and Dr Stephen Smith, and to the whole academic advisors team.
Thank you, Alyson Bayles, our most professional chief rapporteur of the conference.
Thanks to guides, interpreters, musicians, the police and many, many others.
And, last but not least, I would like to thank Secretary-General Krister Kumlin, Deputy Secretary- General Cecilia Ruthström-Ruin, and the whole fantastic conference secretariat, for arranging and conducting this conference so efficiently.

Dear friends,

I wanted us to be “unreasonable” during this Stockholm International Forum: Preventing Genocide, in the spirit of Raphael Lemkin.
And we have been “unreasonable” long beyond my expectations.
Let us continue to be “unreasonable” in the difficult, continuous task to prevent genocide.
Thank you.