Rwandans in Kenya meet at the United Nations offices in Nairobi to commemorate 25 years since the genocide.
More than 800,000 people were killed in three months.
Director General of the UN office Maimunah Sharif read a speech by UN Secretary General António Guterres.
Guterres said the genocide against in Rwanda marks one of the darkest chapters in human history.
He said the day honours those who were murdered and reflects on the resilience of those who survived.
Guterres said raising cases of intolerance across the world threaten social stability and peace.
“We are seeing dangerous rising threats of xenophobia, racism and intolerance in many parts of the world. Particularly, there is a proliferation of hate speeches and incitement to violence. They threaten human rights, social stability and peace."
The UN chief said such vices should be identified, confronted and stopped from causing harm to human kind as it happened in Rwanda.
He urged political, religious and civil society leaders to reject hate speech and discrimination.
He further said the capacity for evil resides in all our societies and called for practice of politics of understanding, kindness, justice and reconciliation.
In hounour of the victims, the congregation observed a minute of silence.
On April 7, the Rwandan Government initiated 100 days of mourning in observation of the 25th anniversary of the genocide by lighting a flame at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. Various dignitaries attended the event.
The Rwandan genocide was a mass slaughter of during the Rwandan civil war, which started in 1990.
