International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
Every year around 27 January, UNESCO pays tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to counter antisemitism, racism, and other forms of intolerance that may lead to group-targeted violence. The date marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet troops on 27 January 1945. It was officially proclaimed, in November 2005, International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust by the United Nations General Assembly.
The Holocaust profoundly affected countries in which Nazi crimes were perpetrated, with universal implications and consequences in many other parts of the world. Member States share a collective responsibility for addressing the residual trauma, maintaining effective remembrance policies, caring for historic sites, and promoting education, documentation and research, more than seven decades after the genocide. This responsibility entails educating about the causes, consequences and dynamics of such crimes so as to strengthen the resilience of young people against ideologies of hatred. As genocide and atrocity crimes keep occurring across several regions, and as we are witnessing a global rise of antisemitism and hate speech, this has never been so relevant.
"Remembrance of the Holocaust obliges us to address the scars of the past; at the same time, it also obliges us to respect human rights and to respect an international order built on the fundamental principle that there is dignity in every human life."
2024 commemorations
Video of the event
UNESCO marked the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust at its Paris Headquarters on 25 January 2024 with an official ceremony and a special music concert reviving music from the concentration camps and ghettos.
UNESCO's Director-General was joined by Francois Heilbronn, the Vice-President of the Memorial de la Shoah, and by Holocaust survivor Dr Charlotte Knobloch, World Jewish Congress Commissioner for Holocaust Memory and President of the Jewish Community in Munich and Upper Bavaria. Italian composer and conductor Francesco Lotoro and his orchestra brought back to life on stage nine melodies created and performed under Nazi persecution - a powerful reminder of the endurance of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable horrors.
The 2024 commemoration is organized in partnership with the Foundation "Institute of Concentrationary Music Literature", the USC Shoah Foundation and the Shoah Memorial. The events are generously supported by the Permanent Delegations of Belgium, Germany, Italy and Monaco to UNESCO and the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah.
UNESCO also acknowledges the valuable support from the Montreal Holocaust Museum and "We are the tree of life" association.
What UNESCO does for Holocaust Remembrance
