Source: UN News: Friday, January 30, 2026 00:01 AM
If hatred is left unchecked, it can destroy everything, and so the Holocaust is not just history, it is also a warning. Antonio Guterres, the top official of the United Nations, in his address on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Tuesday, January 27, said that to honor the victims of this horror, we will have to take a pledge of justice, compassion and vigilance and stand united in favor of humanity against oppression. During World War II, the Nazis exterminated more than six million Jews, along with members of the Roma, Sinti, and countless other victims, subjecting them to unprecedented horror and brutality. This Remembrance Day is celebrated every year on 27 January to commemorate the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau torture and genocide camp 81 years ago. More than 1 million people were murdered in these concentration camps. On Tuesday, survivors of this genocide, and their families, gathered for an event held at the UN General Auditorium to honor the memory of the victims. The event commemorated the Roma and Sinti communities, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ persons, and all those who suffered systemic violence, torture, and genocide during the Nazi regime. Secretary-General António Guterres underlined the importance of fighting against the age-old poison of anti-Semitism, saying that the lessons of the Holocaust can never be forgotten. UN Photo/Evan Schneider UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed an event organized on the occasion of the International Day in Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust. “Remembrance is more than honoring the past. It is a duty and a promise, to defend the dignity of the powerless, and to maintain allegiance to all those whose names and stories we refuse to forget.” Fighting Anti-Semitism In his address on 7 October 2023, the UN chief reiterated his condemnation of attacks in southern Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. He said that even in the shadow of this horror, remembering the victims in this program gives us hope. “You are here because you chose hope over hate. You chose remembrance as a living force. A shield against prejudice, a spark of justice, a determination to protect every human being.” Tweet URL
The Holocaust, he said, actually began with words rather than killings. “This dark chapter in our shared history reveals some harsh realities.” “When the powerful fail to act, evil goes unpunished.” UN Secretary General called for a comprehensive condemnation of anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred, everywhere in the world. “Our duty is clear: to speak the truth. To educate new generations. To combat anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination. And to defend the dignity of every single person.” UN General Assembly President Anna Elena Baerbock said that ahead of the event she had met with concentration camp survivor Blumenthal Lazanne. Met up. He was forcibly deported to Bergen-Belsen as a child during the Second World War. Former German Foreign Minister Baerbock said he visited several notorious concentration camps during his student days, and the experience deeply affected him. The General Assembly chief said that the United Nations, its Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all have at their core a promise that this horror will never be repeated. “We have a duty to speak out more loudly than ever before when there are signs of dehumanization.” Citing Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal, he said that if good people do nothing, this very situation becomes a reason for evil to flourish.
