The United Nations (UN) International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust (International Holocaust Remembrance Day) is annually observed across the globe on 27 January to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, also known as Shoah.
- Shoah was the genocide of European Jews during World War II by Nazi Germany and its collaborators.
- The 2024 theme of International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust is, “Recognizing the Extraordinary Courage of Victims and Survivors of the Holocaust.”
Significance of 27 January:
The date marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Red Army soldiers (Soviet troops) on 27 January 1945.
- 27 January 2024 marks the 79th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Background:
i.On 1st November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/60/7 and proclaimed 27 January as an annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
- The resolution also established an outreach program on the subject of the Holocaust and the UN.
ii.The 1st ever International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust was observed on 27 January 2006.
About Holocaust and the UN Outreach Program:
i.The outreach program aims to mobilise civil society for Holocaust remembrance and education, to help prevent future acts of genocide;
ii.The program has established a global network of partners and developed versatile initiatives including educational resources, professional development programs, panel discussions, and exhibitions.
About Holocaust:
i.The Holocaust (1933–1945) was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of 6 million European Jews by the Nazi German regime, its allies and collaborators.
ii.The Holocaust era began in January 1933 when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany and ended in May 1945, when the Allied Powers defeated Nazi Germany in World War II.
Note: The Holocaust is also sometimes referred to as “the Shoah,” the Hebrew word for “catastrophe.”
2024 Events:
In 2024, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) marked the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with a series of events including a music concert and an exhibition organized in Paris, France.
- The concert featured compositions created and played under Nazi persecution, marked the 1st performance of these compositions since World War II.
Partnership:
i.The 2024 commemoration was organized in partnership with the Foundation “Institute of Concentrationary Music Literature”, the USC Shoah Foundation, and the Shoah Memorial.
- The events were supported by the Permanent Delegations of Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Monaco to UNESCO and the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah.
Agreement:
Ahead of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia signed a historic agreement in Paris, France.
- The agreement focused on renovating Block 17 at Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and installing a new and joint permanent exhibition on the Holocaust in the former Yugoslavia.
UN Events:
i.The UN organised a Holocaust Memorial Ceremony in the UNGA Hall in New York, United States of America (USA).
- It was hosted by Ms. Melissa Fleming, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications.
ii.UN also organised an exhibition, “Fighting for the Whole World” – Lower Saxony under Nazi Rule in New York, USA from 22 January – 23 February 2024.
About United Nations (UN):
Secretary-General– António Guterres
Headquarters– New York, USA
Established in– 1945
