YEREVAN—Speaking at the second Global Forum on Against the Crime of Genocide, humanitarian and actor George Clooney on Saturday said that the Armenian Genocide was part of world history and not just Armenian history.

Because the world we live in is complex, Clooney said, it has been a long struggle to have events be called by their real name. However, he said “one cannot deny what has happened.”

“When someone is trying to annihilate a whole human race, culture, people, that’s genocide, there can be no other version of it,” said Clooney while taking part in a panel discussion.

“What we are doing today has two objectives. First, we have to look back into the past and remember that it’s not the pain of a particular country or people, it’s part of world history. Second, we need to move forward,” Clooney added.

Clooney arrived in Armenia on Friday to present the first Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, which is a new global award that will be given annually to individuals who put themselves at risk to enable others to survive. Recipients will be recognized for the exceptional impact their actions have made on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes, having overcome significant challenges along the way. One of the four finalists, the ultimate Aurora Prize Laureate, will receive a grant of $100,000 and the chance to continue the cycle of giving by nominating organizations that inspired his or her work for a $1 million award.

The Aurora Prize was created by the co-founders of 100 LIVES, a pioneering global initiative seeking to express gratitude to those who put themselves at risk to save Armenians from the Genocide one hundred years ago. On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, the annual Aurora Prize aims to raise public consciousness about atrocities occurring around the world and reward those working to address those issues in a real and substantial manner.