Permanent delegates to UNESCO participated in a workshop on addressing antisemitism at the Shoah Memorial Museum in Paris on 20 January 2020, in the context of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
The workshop, organized by the World Jewish Congress with the support of UNESCO, France and Germany, gathered diplomats representing over 30 Member States. During discussions with experts of the Memorial, they explored the history and contemporary manifestations of antisemitism and had an opportunity to visit the permanent exhibition of the Shoah Memorial. The workshop was opened by Ambassador Véronique Roger-Lacan and Ambassador Peter Reuss, respectively Permanent Delegates of France and of Germany, by Leon Saltiel, representative of the World Jewish Congress to UNOG and UNESCO and Karel Fracapane of UNESCO Education Sector. All speakers underlined the urgency to address against hate speech online and the necessity to provide support for education stakeholders, particularly teachers confronted to expressions of racism and antisemitism in educational environments. In this respect, Karel Fracapane underlined actions taken by UNESCO to prevent violent extremism and initiatives to address contemporary forms of antisemitism implemented in partnership with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE and the World Jewish Congress. He referred notably to the training in 2019 of senior officials of ministries of education representing 60 countries from all regions. This workshop was the second such initiative organized by the World Jewish Congress. The first, which took place in 2019 at the Izieu Children Memorial, benefited Permanent Missions to UNOG.
Find out more about how to address antisemitism through education and education about the holocaust and prevention of genocide.