INTERNATIONAL DAY IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE HOLOCAUST 2010
The Holocaust
and the United Nations
Outreach Programme
Remembrance and Beyond
“Denying historical facts, especially on such an important subject as the Holocaust, is just not acceptable. Nor is it acceptable to call for the elimination of any State or people. I would like to see this fundamental principle respected both in rhetoric and in practice by all the members of the international community.”
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,
Press Conference SG/2120, 14 December 2006
About the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme
What’s New?
2010 International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust
The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre partners with the United Nations to distribute primary school educational materials
Publication of
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme Discussion Papers Journal
Footprints for Hope
The Footprints for Hope educational video is now available in all UN official language
(Picture Credit: Olivia Hemingway)
Rejecting any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part, the General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution (A/RES/60/7) condemning “without reserve” all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities
based on ethnic origin or religious belief, whenever they occur.
It decided that the United Nations would designate 27 January -– the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp — as an annual International Day of Commemoration to honour the victims of the Holocaust, and urged Member States to develop educational programmes to instil the memory of the tragedy in future generations to prevent genocide from
occurring again, and requested the United Nations Secretary-General to establish an outreach programme on the
“Holocaust and the United Nations”, as well as measures to mobilize civil society for Holocaust remembrance and education, in order to help prevent future acts of genocide.
The Holocaust was a turning point in history, which prompted the world to say “never again”". The significance of resolution A/RES/60/7 is that it calls for a remembrance of past crimes
with an eye towards preventing them in the future.
Source: Press Release GA/10413 of 1 November 2005
UN Web Services Section, Department of Public Information, United Nations © 2008
Ann
.jpg){kind=link}
Whenever we stand up to those who deny or minimize genocide we send a critical message to the world. As we continue to live in an age of genocide and ethnic cleansing, we must repel the broken ethics of our ancestors, or risk a dreadful repeat of past transgressions. We know from captured German war records that millions of innocent Jews were systematically exterminated by Nazi Germany – most in gas chambers. These facts have been proven repeatedly through countless thesis and dissertation research papers. Virtually every PhD in the world will stake their career on the veracity of known Holocaust facts. Despite this knowledge, Holocaust deniers ply their mendacious poison everywhere, especially with young people on the Internet. Such deniers have only one agenda – to distort the truth in a way that promotes antagonism against the object of their hatred, or to deny the culpability of their ancestors and heroes.
Museums and mandatory public education are tools to dispel bigotry, especially racial and ethnic hatred. Books, films and presentations can reinforce the veracity of past and present genocides. They help to tell the true story of the perpetrators of genocide; and they reveal the abject terror, humiliation and degradation resulting from prejudice. It is therefore essential that we disclose the factual brutality and horror of genocide, combating the deniers’ virulent, inaccurate historical revision. We must protect vulnerable future generations from making the same mistakes.
A world that continues to allow genocide requires ethical remediation. We must show the world that religious, racial, ethnic, gender and orientation persecution is wrong; and that tolerance is our progeny’s only hope. Only through such efforts can we reveal the true horror of genocide and promote the triumphant spirit of humankind.
Charles Weinblatt
Author, “Jacob’s Courage”
http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/