A/HRC/7/78 page 71 Acknowledging the significant progress made by the international community in the past 60 years, including within the United Nations system, in developing relevant mechanisms and practices to prevent and punish the crime of genocide, thereby contributing to the effective implementation of the Convention, Recalling General Assembly resolution 96 (I) of 11 December 1946, in which the Assembly declared genocide a crime under international law, and all subsequent resolutions within the United Nations system that have contributed to the establishment and development of the process of prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide, including Assembly resolution 60/1 of 16 September 2005, Acknowledging with appreciation that genocide is defined among the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and anticipating that the functioning of the Court with a high number of ratifications of the Statute and the functioning of other relevant international criminal tribunals will help increase accountability for the crime of genocide, Recalling that the Council is mandated by the General Assembly to address situations of violations of human rights, including gross and systematic violations, and to make recommendations thereon, and that it should also promote the effective coordination and mainstreaming of human rights within the United Nations system, Recognizing the important contribution of the United Nations human rights system to efforts towards preventing situations in which the crime of genocide could be committed, Reaffirming its full support for the mandate of the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the prevention of genocide, who acts, inter alia, as an early warning mechanism to prevent potential situations that could result in genocide, Taking note with appreciation of the presentation of the reports of the Secretary-General submitted to the Council on the implementation of the Five-Point Action Plan and the activities of the Special Adviser (E/CN.4/2006/84 and A/HRC/7/37), as well as of the convening of two interactive dialogues with the Special Adviser at both the third and current sessions of the Council, 1. Reaffirms the significance of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as an effective international instrument for the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide; 2. Expresses its appreciation to all States that have ratified or acceded to the Convention, and in particular to the States that have done so in the years following the adoption of Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/62 of 20 April 2005;