Commenting on the disturbing rise in antisemitism in recent years – including “egregious attacks” on Jewish communities in Sydney and Manchester – Mr Türk warned that “hatred and dehumanization are infiltrating our daily lives”.
He urged people to remember the lessons of the Holocaust, during which six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators.
“The genocide did not begin with concentration camps and gas chambers; it began with apathy and silence in the face of injustice and with the corrosive dehumanization of the other..”
The need to remember
The central theme of this year’s commemoration is Holocaust remembrance for dignity and human rights.
Reflecting on this issue and addressing some of the current challenges, the High Commissioner emphasized the need for “laws that prohibit discrimination and politicians who do not polarize by pointing out differences, but instead unite denouncing injustice.”
To protect humanity from a repeat of its darkest chapters, Türk said: “We need Holocaust education, human rights for all ages, and strong, inclusive systems for moderating digital content, so that people can express their concerns without fear.”
Reasons for hope
Calling on the world to use the tools available today, such as international human rights law, unprecedented access to verifiable information and “the memory of how exclusion can turn into annihilation”, Mr. Türk demanded measures to counter the “plague” of racism, anti-Semitism and dehumanization.
“Together, we must challenge exceptionalism, supremacy, and intolerance wherever we find them.: at the table, in our workplaces and on social networks,” continued the human rights chief.
“Each of us can be a architect of a world free of discrimination and intolerance.”
Echoing the words of Anne Frank and remembering her stepsister, Eva Schloss, who died a few weeks ago, Türk emphasized that “no one needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
Listen to our interview with Ms. Schloss, who spoke to UN News in Geneva in 2018: here.
The UN commemorates
New York – United Nations Holocaust Memorial Observance
- Start time: 11:00 am EST, General Assembly Hall, United Nations Headquarters
Exhibition: Between life and death: Rescue stories during the Holocaust | Visitor Lobby, United Nations Headquarters | January 15 – February 20, 2026
Exhibition: Holocaust Remembrance: a commitment to the truth | Visitor Lobby, United Nations Headquarters | January 15 – February 8, 2026
Geneva – Holocaust Remembrance
- Start time: 13:00 CET, Palace of Nations, Room XVI