At a time when survivors and direct witnesses of the Holocaust are growing fewer, it is vital to further invest in education to pass on memory to younger generations. as well as to combat contemporary forms of antisemitism. Since it's creation, UNESCO has been resolutely committed to carrying out this mission. Over the past ten years, we have led such actions in 85 countries.
Audrey AzoulayUNESCO Director-General
On 27 January 2025, the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, Audrey Azoulay will take part in the official commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz Birkenau, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1979.
In the context of this ceremony, the Director-General of UNESCO will also visit the future Auschwitz Research Centre on Hate, Extremism and Radicalisation (ARCHER), created by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) under the patronage of UNESCO and in partnership with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. This research and education centre will be established in the former home of Auschwitz commander Rudolf Höss.
Three new guides to combat Holocaust denial
To reinforce this important commemoration, UNESCO is publishing three new guides to help educators and journalists better combat Holocaust denial, the distortion and manipulation of historical facts relating to the Holocaust, and contemporary forms of anti-Semitism.
The Guide for teachers and the Lesson activities for secondary education delve into the specifics of how Holocaust denial and anti-Semitic discourse appear online and in the classroom, while also offering survivor testimonies and lessons plans to help teachers develop their pupils' knowledge and critical thinking skills in the face of disinformation about the Holocaust.
