Tuesday marked the solemn commemoration of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp 81 years ago. Allied forces liberated the camp, where over a million people were murdered, towards the end of World War Two.
In response to the concerning rise of antisemitism, including recent attacks on Jewish communities in Sydney and Manchester, UN Human Rights Chief Mr. Türk warned that “hatred and dehumanization are creeping into our daily lives.” He stressed the importance of remembering the Holocaust, during which six million Jews were killed by the Nazis and their collaborators.
Mr. Türk stated, “The genocide did not begin with concentration camps and gas chambers; it started with apathy and silence in the face of injustice, and with the corrosive dehumanization of the other.”
The Need for Remembrance
This year’s commemoration centers on the theme Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights. Addressing contemporary challenges, the High Commissioner highlighted the necessity of “laws that prohibit discrimination, and politicians who do not polarize by calling out differences – but unite by calling out injustice.”
To prevent history from repeating itself, Mr. Türk emphasized the need for comprehensive Holocaust education, universal human rights protections, and robust digital content moderation systems that allow for free expression of concerns.
Reasons for Hope
Mr. Türk called for global action against racism, antisemitism, and dehumanization, urging the use of international human rights law, accessible information, and the memory of past atrocities. “Together, we must challenge exceptionalism, supremacy, and bigotry wherever we encounter them: at the dinner table, at our workplaces, and on social media,” he urged. “Each of us can be an architect of a world free from discrimination and intolerance.”
Echoing the sentiments of Anne Frank and remembering her step-sister Eva Schloss, who recently passed away, Mr. Türk reiterated that “nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
The UN Commemorates
New York – United Nations Holocaust Memorial Observance
- Start Time: 11:00am EST, General Assembly Hall, United Nations Headquarters
Exhibition: Between Life and Death: Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust | Visitors’ Lobby, United Nations Headquarters |15 January – 20 February 2026
Exhibition: Holocaust Remembrance – A Commitment to Truth | Visitors’ Lobby, United Nations Headquarters | 15 January – 8 February 2026
Geneva – Holocaust Remembrance
- Start Time: 1pm CET, Palais des Nations, Room XVI
