THE SECRETARY-GENERAL'S MESSAGE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COMMEMORATION IN MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST

We mourn the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators – as well as the Roma and Sinti, the people with disabilities, and countless others who perished.

Each victim had a name. 

Each victim had hopes and dreams. 

And each of those victims had their rights systematically denied and destroyed.

When we remember these indisputable truths, we remember their humanity.

We grieve for all that was lost and all that might have been.

The Holocaust was not inevitable.

Its architects made their intentions clear. Their hatred and violence unfolded in plain sight.

The facts are undeniable. Yet today we see the forces of distortion and denial on the march.

Antisemitism, bigotry, racism and discrimination are being fuelled by dehumanizing rhetoric and enabled by indifference.

We must take a stand – to honour past victims, and prevent further atrocities.

We must renounce hatred and injustice wherever they appear.

We must defend the right of every person to live free from fear, in dignity and peace.

This is the foundation of the United Nations.

On this day – and every day – let us honour the memory of the victims of the Holocaust by reaffirming our shared humanity, upholding human dignity, and defending the values that unite us all.