United Nations Ceremony to Mark International Day in Memory of Holocaust Victims, at United Nations Headquarters, 31 January
The United Nations will mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust victims and pay tribute to the liberators of the camps with a memorial ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, 31 January, in the General Assembly Hall at New York Headquarters.
The theme for the 2018 observance is “Holocaust Remembrance and Education: Our Shared Responsibility”. The theme emphasizes the universal dimension of the Holocaust and encourages education on the tragedy so that future generations will firmly reject all forms of racism, violence and anti-Semitism.
Alison Smale, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, will host the memorial ceremony, and speakers will include: António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General; Miroslav Lajčák, President of the seventy-second session of the United Nations General Assembly; Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations; Christoph Heusgen, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations; and Kelley Anne Eckels-Currie, United States Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Thomas Buergenthal, a Holocaust survivor and a retired Judge of the International Court of Justice and Professor at George Washington University Law School, will deliver the keynote address. Those attending the event will hear personal testimony delivered by Eva Lavi, a Holocaust survivor.
Holocaust memorial prayers will be recited by Joseph Malovany of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue while the United Nations Recreation Council Chamber Music Society and United Nations Recreation Council Singers will perform.
Exhibit openings in January include: The Last Swiss Holocaust Survivors, organized by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations; Survivors, Victims and Perpetrators, organized by the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations; and The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust, developed by the Holocaust Museum Houston.
The Department of Public Information’s activities also include a screening of the film Children of the Holocaust and a discussion afterwards with the film’s producer, Kathleen Shackleton, and Zane Whittingham, director of Fettle Animation, and a briefing for non-governmental organizations.
With guidance and support from the Holocaust Programme, the global network of United Nations information centres will organize 150 Holocaust memorial and educational events in 38 countries for the observance.
To view the full calendar of events and registration details, guests may visit www.un.org/holocaustremembrance. Photo identification is required to pass through United Nations security screening at the First Avenue entrance at 46th Street.
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme was established by General Assembly resolution 60/7 in 2005 to further education about and remembrance of the Holocaust to help prevent future acts of genocide. Its multifaceted programme includes online and print educational products, seminars, exhibitions, a film series and the annual worldwide observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, held on 27 January.
Media contacts: Kimberly Mann at tel.: +1 212 963 6835, email: mann@un.org; and Libby Leher, at tel.: +1 917 367 3643, email: libby.leher@un.org.
For media accreditation, please contact the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit at www.un.org/en/media/accreditation.