First Meeting of the UNESCO Latin America and Caribbean Network for Education about the Holocaust and Genocide
Photo @UNESCO. Peter Fredlake from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum speaks at UNESCO Regional Consultation on Holocaust education, Buenos Aires, May 2013
San José (Costa Rica) on 25-26 November 2014.
Following recommendations made during the UNESCO consultation on “Holocaust and Genocide Education in Latin America and the Caribbean” held in May 2013 in Argentina, UNESCO organizes the first meeting of the UNESCO Latin American Network for Education about the Holocaust and Genocide in San José, Costa Rica, on forthcoming 25 to 26 of November, in partnership with the Costa Rican Ministry of Education.
The meeting will serve to launch the activities of the UNESCO Network of Latin American and Caribbean Focal Points for Education about the Holocaust and Genocide. The Network was created in order to coordinate regional action in support of the development of educational initiatives relevant to the Latin American and Caribbean contexts. It is composed of focal points representing ministries of education of the region.
The Network will report on ongoing activities at the national level and discuss possible joint projects aiming at the inclusion of the subject in relevant sections of curricula and textbooks, at disseminating educational materials, and at developing opportunities for professional development of educators. Under the leadership of UNESCO, ministries of education officials will be supported in their discussions by regional and international experts, including representatives of the Anne Frank House (the Netherlands), the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Yad Vashem (Israel).
“Education about the Holocaust and other genocides in history is a strong component of UNESCO’s work to promote peace and mutual understanding through education” said Jorge Sequeira, Director of the Santiago-based UNESCO Regional Bureau of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean. He added: “we are hopeful that this new commitment from several countries of the region will contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of racism, stigmatization and exclusion that may lead mass violence, so we can prevent it for happening.”
Participating countries are: Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. This initiative is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France.
More information
- Education for Holocaust Remembrance
- Consultation on Holocaust and genocide education in Latin America (2013)
Interviews (May 2013):
- Frank Chalk: “Ignorance joined with prejudice are the allies and tools of violent conflicts”
- Interview with Celeste Adamoli and Emmanuel Kahan of the Education and Remembrance Program at the Argentine Education Ministry:
The Holocaust: “A good way to commemorate experiences such as these is to make a commitment to teaching about them”
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