Note to Correspondents

Department of Public Information TO ORGANIZE BRIEFING

 

ON HOLOCAUST AWARENESS, GENOCIDE PREVENTION

 

The United Nations Department of Public Information will organize a briefing on “Holocaust Awareness and the Prevention of Genocide” on 12 May from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council chamber at United Nations Headquarters.  The briefing is intended to facilitate the development of educational curricula on the Holocaust by Member States and to mobilize civil society for Holocaust remembrance and education.

Following the welcoming remarks by Raymond Sommereyns, Director of the Outreach Division of the Department, who will also moderate the programme, Ambassador Gabor Bródi, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations, will make an opening statement.  Hungary assumes the 2006 chair of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (ITF).

Speakers at the briefing will include eminent scholars and educators on the Holocaust and related issues of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice.  Jerry Fowler, Staff Director of the Committee on Conscience, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will speak on “The Holocaust and Genocide Prevention”; Dr. Kathrin Meyer, Adviser on Anti-Semitism Issues in the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, will speak on “Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Outreach Activities”; Dr. Helén Lööw, Director of the Living History Forum in Sweden will speak on “National Holocaust Awareness Programmes”; and Shulamit Imber, Director of Pedagogy, International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem in Israel, will speak on “Available Resources for Holocaust Education”.

The briefing is being organized by the Department’s “Holocaust and the United Nations” outreach programme in the context of General Assembly Resolution 60/7, which urges Member States to develop relevant educational programmes and requests the Secretary-General to establish a programme of outreach on the subject.

Media representatives, Government delegates and representatives of non-governmental organizations with a valid United Nations grounds pass are invited to attend.  Please note that regular seating for Member States will not apply.

For further information, you may call Vikram Sura, tel.:  212-963-8274 or write to holocaustremebrance@un.org.  Please visit the website of the “Holocaust and the United Nations” outreach programme at www.un.org/holocaustremembrance.

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For information media • not an official record