In her keynote address, Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel condemned all forms of anti-Semitism today, in Germany and across the world. "Anti-Semitism is alive and kicking today -- it has no role in our society," she said, underlining the need to‎ combat it by all means and in all instances.

Chancellor Merkel was clear about the crucial foundation of shared values for a liberal, open and tolerant society. "The measure of humanity is how we interact with others," said the Chancellor, pointing to the crucial role of parliamentarians in leading the way.

In her keynote, Director-General Bokova was clear that the stakes are high. “Anti-Semitism kills,” she said. “Children are killed because they are Jewish. Women and men are killed because they are Jewish. Places of worship, culture, community are attacked because they are Jewish. This is happening in Europe and across the world,” adding, “These crimes must be countered and punished. They must also be prevented, and this begins with education -- education that cultivates critical thinking, that fosters new forms of global solidarity, that engages young people in combatting anti-Semitism, in refusing all forms of prejudice.”

The Director-General pointed to UNESCO’s leading work in promoting global citizenship education, as a tool to prevent violent extremism, its efforts to bolster media and information literacy, to help young women and men counter radicalisation through the Internet. She underlined the Organisation’s work to advance Holocaust education – a unique programme in the United Nations system -- to never forget and to fight racism and discrimination today.

Ms. Bokova stressed the importance of the UNESCO University Chairs in Holocaust education at the Krakow University and University of Aix-Marseille, on Genocide Prevention at Rutgers University, as well as the UNESCO Chair on Genocide Education, at the University of Southern California.

The same spirit underpins the exhibition, “People, Book, Land: The 3,500 year Relationship of the Jewish People with the Holy Land,” organized with UNESCO and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, launched in June 2014, now touring the world, to deepen knowledge about the history and culture of the Jewish people.

“Fundamentally,” the Director-General concluded, “all this is about defending humanity as a single community, sharing values and equal dignity.”

Rabbi Andrew Baker, of the OSCE, also gave a keynote speech.

European Commissioner, First Vice President, Frans Timmermans minced no words in stating the challenge: "Look around you, it's happening again." In response, he pointed to "education, education, education," as the most important antidote to anti-Semitism.

Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, commented: “The terrible terrorist attacks of recent years in Paris, Brussels and Copenhagen have shown us that anti-Semitism remains a real and dangerous threat – not only for our Jewish fellow citizens, but for all of our societies. The fight against anti-Semitism, intolerance and discrimination must therefore remain our common cause and is also a focus of the German chairmanship of the OSCE.”

John Mann MP (UK), Chair of the ICCA, said: “This is a significant step in our efforts to ensure joined-up thinking from parliaments across the globe. The internet and anti-Semitic inspired terrorism are just two examples of worldwide phenomena which require an international response. The commitment from all parties and senior leaders in Germany shows that we have the attention and determination of world leaders to act and it puts perpetrators of anti-Semitism on notice that the world is watching and will not stand idly by whilst anti-Jewish hatred is on the rise."

Petra Pau, Vice-President of the German Bundestag and Member of the ICCA Steering Committee, declared: “For years I have campaigned on the themes of civil rights and democracy and against right-wing extremism, racism and anti-Semitism.” “Never again” is easy to say. That which was previously inconceivable, that once happened, can happen again, warned the Hungarian Nobel Prize for Literature winner Imre Kertész. These words from the Holocaust survivor act as a reminder to me. And to us.”

The Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism was co-founded by John Mann MP, chair of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Anti-Semitism. An inaugural conference was held in London in 2009 and resulted in the ‘London Declaration on Combating Anti-Semitism’. Following a second conference in Ottawa, Canada, in 2010, an international task force on internet hate, incorporating members of the major internet companies, was established and has since published a report and produced a statement of aspirational principles that the participating industry stakeholders have supported.