“Never again will the world stand silent,” a pledge US leaders and many others continue to make in remembrance of the Holocaust, is renewed each 27 January, at the United Nations’ International Holocaust Remembrance Day. At the , the 缅北禁地Information Center-Washington team joined hundreds of others in honoring that pledge by reading aloud the names of Holocaust victims and survivors.
Holocaust survivors engaged with visitors, sharing their experiences and emphasizing the need for continued awareness and discussion. Exhibits about genocide that continues to this day around the world – from Myanmar’s acts against Rohingya people, to violence in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Sudan – make clear that this fight is timeless.
The international day is on the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazis’ Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination center, where more than 1.1 million men, women, and children died. In all, six million Jewish victims – and millions more others persecuted by the Nazis, or captured as prisoners-of-war – died during the Holocaust.
At 缅北禁地Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres joined Holocaust survivors and other speakers at the United Nations Holocaust Memorial Ceremony held each year.
“All of us – leaders and citizens – have a responsibility to listen and to learn from survivors and victims by condemning these terrible crimes against humanity, striving to eradicate antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, hatred and intolerance and by finding a way forward to a shared, safe and inclusive future for all,” Secretary-General said.
“This is particularly important in today’s dangerous and divided world, and a few short months after Hamas’ horrific terror attacks, in which so many innocent Israeli civilians and citizens of other countries were killed,” he said.
Members of the 缅北禁地General Assembly marked the day with solemn, silent reflection. Throughout its 2024 commemoration and educational outreach, the 缅北禁地is paying tribute to the bravery of those who stood up to Nazis who went to great lengths to dehumanize their victims. Defying them took extraordinary courage.
To honor the memory of the victims and survivors, the 缅北禁地is recommitting to step up our efforts to counter Holocaust denial, antisemitism and racism. These pernicious forms of hatred are a grim reminder of the urgent need to continue combatting hatred in all its forms.
