- This event has passed.
Jan 27 '13
An event every year that begins at 12:00 AM on of January, repeating indefinitely
International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
The Holocaust memorial day highlights the universal dimension of the Holocaust and encourages education on this tragedy so that future generations will firmly reject all forms of racism, violence and anti-Semitism.
The Holocaust was a defining point in history and its lessons have much to teach about the danger of extremism and the prevention of genocide today. Rejecting any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/60/7) by consensus 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.
The resolution declared 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 in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, and urged Member States to develop educational programmes to instill the memory of the tragedy in future generations to prevent genocide from occurring again. It requested the United Nations Secretary-General to establish an outreach programme on the “Holocaust and the United Nations”, as well as institute 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.