Director-General/Executive Director
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for joining the United Nations in Vienna on this International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
I am grateful to the Permanent Mission of Israel for organizing this important event with the support of our colleagues at the UN Information Service, and for enabling us to meet virtually in the face of COVID-related challenges.
We come together today to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children, and the countless others, murdered during the Holocaust.
It is our duty to mourn these victims and preserve their memory, while reflecting upon the spiral of hatred, discrimination and dehumanization that led to Nazi death camps in the heart of Europe.
The horrors of the Holocaust and of the Second World War prompted the founding of the United Nations so that together, we can prevent crimes against humanity, and strive for peace.
Our struggle against antisemitism and racism, hate crimes and hateful discourse, continues today. It is central to the mission of the United Nations that we do our utmost to counter the bigotry, prejudice and disinformation that aim to divide us.
We rely on education and research as powerful tools for spreading knowledge of historical facts, human rights principles and media literacy among our young generations.
And we celebrate the diversity of our societies as a strength, working towards inclusion and mutual understanding.
In honour of the victims of the Holocaust, we pledge to never forget and to always stand up for human rights, justice and for a life of dignity for all.
Thank you.
