Secretary-General Statements and Messages Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the General Assembly on the Observance of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, in New York today: I am deeply honoured to join you and humbled by the presence of Holocaust survivors and their families. We gather in solemn remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust. Th...
Secretary-General Statements and Messages Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the General Assembly on the Observance of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, in New York today: I am deeply honoured to join you and humbled by the presence of Holocaust survivors and their families. We gather in solemn remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust. They were mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, grandparents and grandchildren. Six million Jews murdered just because they were Jewish. We also grieve the Roma and Sinti, the people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ people, and so many more who were enslaved, persecuted, tortured, and killed. And we also remember the stories and struggles of those who confronted the worst of humanity to show us the best: diplomats who defied orders and issued lifesaving visas, journalists who fought to expose the truth, and farmers and villagers who hid families at great peril. Remembrance is more than honouring the past. It is a duty and a promise: to defend dignity, to protect the vulnerable, and to keep faith with those whose names and stories we refuse to forget. The Holocaust, after all, is not only history. It is a warning; a warning that hatred, once unleashed, can consume everything. Today that warning feels more urgent than ever. Antisemitism around the world is raging. Jewish communities live in fear. Synagogues attacked, families shattered, vile antisemitic hatred racing across cyberspace. We are haunted by the horrific terror attack of 7 October — which I once again categorically condemn — along with the taking of hostages, and the acts of hatred targeting Jews around the world in recent years, and, indeed, in recent weeks. But coming together as we have come today, to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust fills me with hope. I see the power of humanity in all of you. I see the courage of survivors who turned pain into purpose. I see the commitment of young people — of every faith and nation — standing together against hate. I see the strength of solidarity when communities unite. You are here because you choose hope over hate. You choose remembrance as a living force — a shield against prejudice, a spark for justice, a pledge to protect every human being. This show of unity is more important than ever. Because we know the Holocaust is a stark demonstration of the dangers of unchecked hatred. The Holocaust did not begin with killing. It began with words. Its architects telegraphed their evil intentions. They deliberately spread a hateful, supremacist ideology that preyed on fear and economic despair. This powerful engine of hate was given fuel through the systematic dismantling of democratic institutions, the stifling of the press, the persecution of civil society, the corruption of courts, and the erosion of the rule of law. It included a mastery of the technology of the time: Controlling information, deploying propaganda and manipulating public discourse, spreading antisemitic and racist hatred with devastating efficiency. And we must never forget the painful truth that Jewish families who sought refuge were met with the cold shoulder of indifference, closed borders and bureaucratic barriers. This dark chapter of our common history reveals sobering truths. When those with power fail to act, evil goes unpunished. When the past is distorted, denied and weaponized, hatred and prejudice fester. When words become weapons, lies, conspiracies, the casual joke and the coded slur can grow until the unthinkable becomes policy and violence. So let us together pledge to stand against antisemitism and all forms of hatred — and against bigotry, racism and discrimination anywhere and everywhere. This is the tenth time I have had the privilege as Secretary-General to address you on this day of remembrance. For me, Holocaust remembrance — and the fight against the ancient poison of antisemitism — is not abstract. It is personal. One of my personal achievements as Prime Minister of Portugal was working with Parliament to adopt a decree that revoked the sixteenth century expulsion of Jews from my country. I am happy to see tens of thousands of descendants of those expelled families regaining Portuguese nationality. This was a symbolic step — but one that demonstrated the importance of acknowledging the depth of our remorse, even the remorse for the crimes of our country, remorse for the past, and our commitment to build a better, more inclusive future. A commitment that goes to the core of what brings us here today in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. As Secretary-General, I remember standing in Yad Vashem, confronted by the immense weight of memory and the countless lives extinguished in the darkness of hatred. I have prayed together with the Jewish community in the aftermath of atrocious acts of violence and antisemitism. I have heard testimonies from Holocaust survivors about their experiences that began with a knock on the door — and ended with lives erased. And I have always understood the clear link between the horrors of the Holocaust and the spirit of multilateralism, justice and rights that founded our organization. Just over 80 years ago, the Nuremberg trials began. These trials represented the beginning of a new era in international criminal law; an era 78 which individuals, including the most powerful, are held accountable. Today, more than ever, we need to reclaim that spirit. At the opening of Nuremberg, Justice Robert H. Jackson warned us: “These prisoners represent sinister influences that will lurk in the world long after their bodies have returned to dust.” These influences — antisemitism, racism, hatred — are very much still with us. Our duty is clear: to speak the truth, to educate new generations, to confront antisemitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination, and to defend the dignity of every human being. But it is also our duty to keep alive the spirit of acting in common purpose, through multilateralism, to ensure that the forces of humanity always triumph over the forces of inhumanity. Let us honour the memory of the victims of the Holocaust by recommitting to justice, dignity, compassion and vigilance, to a world where humanity stands united against oppression, and where the terrible legacy of the past strengthens our resolve to protect human rights today and in the future. Let us forever carry in our hearts the Holocaust’s victims, whose calls for justice and peace can never be extinguished. May their memory be a blessing.
Speech Brief