A United Nations General Assembly resolution from 2005 designated January 27 as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorating the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz–Birkenau.
On this day, we remember the systemic persecution, genocide and death of Jewish, Romani and other people during World War II. The unprecedented atrocities of the Holocaust shook our civilization to the core, and remembering this tragic moment in the history of mankind reiterates the need to cultivate mutual understanding and respect, so that exclusivity, extremism and intolerance could never again overcome.
This day is also an opportunity to pay respects to the Croatian Righteous among the Nations – 120 of them, who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination.
Croatia nurtures the culture of Holocaust remembrance and promotes the fight against all forms of racism and discrimination. As a member country of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), Croatia contributes to the dissemination of knowledge, public action and development of standards in educating the youth about the Holocaust.
IHRA’s Working Definitions of Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial and Distortion are a valuable took in Croatia’s education system and public policies.
In December 2020, at its last plenary session under German chairmanship, IHRA unanimously accepted Croatia’s chairmanship bid for 2023, which is additional confirmation of our commitment to the fight against antisemitism and Holocaust denial and distortion.
Over the last few years, Europe and the world have been witnessing the rise of hate speech, racism, xenophobia and intolerance towards minorities and other vulnerable groups. The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic further flamed extremist narratives that go counter to peace, pluralism and democracy. That is precisely why raising the awareness of freedom, equality and acceptance of difference, as well as working systemically on their promotion, remains our permanent task.