INSTRUCTION - UNGA HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION

UNCLAS STATE 116034 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNGA SUBJECT: INSTRUCTION - UNGA HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION STATEMENT ¶1. (U) This is an action request: USUN is instructed to draw from the points below during the UN General Assembly Holocaust Commemoration Statement scheduled for November 3, ¶2008. BEGIN TEXT -------------- Three years ago, on 1 November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 60/7, designating January 27th as an annual international day of commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The resolution also requested the United Nations Secretary General to establish an Outreach Program on the subject of the &Holocaust and the United Nations8 as well as measures to mobilize civil society for Holocaust remembrance and education. The United States welcomes the release of the Secretary-General,s recent report on this Program and is pleased to acknowledge the excellent work done so far concerning its implementation. Nevertheless, there is more work to be done: we must continue to mourn the victims of the Holocaust and continue as a global community to reassert our commitment to human rights to ensure that such atrocities never happen again. The Program seeks to achieve these goals. The Outreach Program has included seminars, discussion papers, briefings, film screenings and online information products for educators. Such an all-encompassing approach to remembrance will prove indispensable to the education of today's young people about the horrors of the Holocaust, but also the dangers of hatred and bigotry in any form. It will also serve as a reminder and a warning to today,s leaders about the implications of allowing a resurgence of anti-Semitism within their nations. The United States is proud to be an active participant in these efforts. For example, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum organized a week-long training seminar for Information Officers of United Nations information centers in the Americas in May 2007. Seminars such as this, held in many places throughout the world, have helped to better equip the Information Officers in the field to raise public awareness about the Holocaust, and apply the principles they learn to outreach activities that promote tolerance and human rights. Although the Holocaust ended over sixty-three years ago, its relevance to the international community, and to its victims and their families, will continue indefinitely. The same underlying issues of hatred and intolerance which led to the Holocaust are as dangerous today as they were then. The dignity and worth of each individual human being must be respected in order to prevent any future acts of genocide. The Outreach Program and its participants are to be commended for their tireless efforts in spreading this message throughout the world. The United Nations was created to protect humankind from the scourge of war, as well as to achieve international cooperation for the promotion of human rights and the rule of law. Despite this mandate, it remains unfortunate that one of its member states, Iran, continues to insist upon denying the truth of the Holocaust. As the United States has stated many times before, to deny the events of the Holocaust is tantamount to its approval and to the approval of genocide in general. This is unacceptable. If the denial of the Holocaust proves anything, it is that the lessons of the tragic event remain unlearned by some. It is for this reason that the Outreach Program is so important. The Program teaches future generations the lessons of the Holocaust so as to prevent future acts of genocide. It also serves as an important channel for continuing to honor the victims of the Holocaust, as well as the survivors and those who risked their lives to help intended victims. We hope that the Program will continue to be successful in giving people the knowledge that they need to respect diversity and reject intolerance. The United States will continue to support this mission. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon could not have been more correct in stating that, &it is not enough to remember, honor and grieve for the dead. As we do, we must also educate, nurture and care for the living. We must foster in our children a sense of responsibility so that they can build societies that protect and promote the rights of all civilians.8 The United Nations and all who are involved in this historic Program remind the international community of the sanctity of the human rights of each and every individual. Thank you. END TEXT RICE