United Nations Plants Tree at Headquarters in Honour of Anne Frank, 12 June
On 12 June 2019, Anne Frank would have turned 90, had she survived the Holocaust. The United Nations will honour her legacy by dedicating a sapling donated by the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect. The donated sapling is descended from the horse chestnut tree that grew outside the attic in which the Frank family hid for two years from the Nazis, before they were betrayed.
The dedication will take place on Wednesday, 12 June, from 1:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the North Lawn, at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The event will include the unveiling of a plaque next to the sapling. The dedication ceremony has been organized by the Department of Global Communications’ Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme, with support from the Department of Management. The event is open to the diplomatic corps, United Nations grounds pass holders and accredited media.
The Secretary-General will be represented by Catherine Pollard, Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management. Alison Smale, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, will moderate the proceedings. Sharon Douglas, Chief Executive Officer of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, will deliver a statement. A commemorative plaque marking the occasion will also be unveiled.
Anne received her diary on her thirteenth birthday. A few weeks later, the Frank family was forced into hiding. Only Anne’s father, Otto Frank, survived the Holocaust. Returning to the Netherlands, he discovered that Anne’s writings and diary had been saved by Miep Gies, a friend who had helped the family while in hiding. In the subsequent decades, Anne’s writings have been translated into over 70 languages, and millions of copies of published across the world. Anne Frank’s name has become synonymous with the call for an end to antisemitism, prejudice, and for a just and peaceful world in which human rights are respected. The tree will be a living commemoration of these values.
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. Managed by the Education Outreach Section, 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, on 27 January. For more information, please visit www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance
The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect offers educational programs, traveling exhibits, and theatrical performances to share the impact of the message of Anne Frank's diary by promoting respect for all humanity: www.annefrank.com/.
Media contacts:
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme: Tracey Petersen (+1 212 963 4578), petersen3@un.org.
Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect: Elisa Rapaport (+1 212 431-7993), media@annefrank.com.
For media accreditation, please contact the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit at www.un.org/en/media/accreditation.