[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”-76px|auto||auto||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
27 January 2023<\/b><\/p>\n
Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies,<\/p>\n
Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n
\n
Some of us in this room know the horrors of the Holocaust better than anyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
Survivors of that immense tragedy and their family members understand better than anyone why we must preserve its memory.<\/p>\n
\n
And not just the memory of the ghettos, the deportation, the camps.<\/p>\n
\n
The remembrances of all those whose lives were taken by senseless hate.<\/p>\n
\n
The memory of those you knew. Those you loved. Those you lost. And those who could only live a tortured life when it was over.<\/p>\n
\n
And the memory of those who helped Jewish families in the darkest days, when it was not without risks to provide shelter and protect. Like my grandfather and grandmother.<\/p>\n
\n
It is my honour to welcome you all here today \u2013 in this institution, and in a hall, that was built to ensure that no one would ever see what you or your family had to see.<\/p>\n
\n
Yet, this year has begun amid new waves of antisemitism and Holocaust denial across the world.<\/p>\n
\n
Like poison, they seep into our everyday lives. We hear them from politicians, we read it in the media.<\/p>\n
\n
We have seen pop culture leaders, whose massive reach can influence and enflame millions at the touch of a button, making antisemitic remarks and spewing hate.<\/p>\n
\n
Deliberate denials and distortions of basic facts threaten the human rights of all around the globe.<\/p>\n
\n
\u201cMonsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous,\u201d Primo Levi once wrote. \u201cMore dangerous are the common men \u2013 the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The exhibit \u201cUnmask the Stereotypes\u201d on the ground floor offers a startling insight into how stereotyping, prejudice and hate led to the Holocaust.<\/p>\n
\n
The hate that made the Holocaust possible continues to fester.<\/p>\n
\n
And we can no longer ignore the clear links between extremist ideologies spreading hate online and their real-life consequences.<\/p>\n
\n
With conflicts, wars and atrocity crimes that continue to devastate nations and communities, we have to push back against the tsunamis of disinformation crashing about the internet.<\/p>\n
\n
This is a responsibility that must be translated into action.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n \n During the Holocaust, people outside the camps could not believe what they were hearing.<\/p>\n \n But when the Sonderkommando photographers risked their lives to capture the horrors of Auschwitz, when they smuggled the hard evidence of the atrocities out of the camp \u2013 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \n The world could no longer deny what was happening behind the barbed wire.<\/p>\n \n Let us share their commitment to veracity. Let us channel their resolve. And let us reach for peace and justice for all.<\/p>\n \n Thank you.<\/p>\n \n Toda Raba. Shalom Elichem. <\/em>[Hebrew: Thank you. Peace be upon you.]<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 27 January 2023 Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, Some of us in this room know the horrors of the Holocaust better than anyone.\u00a0 Survivors of that immense […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" 10 November 2022<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\r\n Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\r\n Afghanistan is in crisis. It is in many crises.<\/p>\r\n It has been 15 months since the Taliban consolidated control over the country.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Its economy is in ruins. The humanitarian situation is disastrous.<\/span><\/p>\r\n \u00a0<\/span>Two-thirds of the population is hungry.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n \u00a0<\/span>Girls and women are banned from learning, having a job or getting proper medical care.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n The country is awash with heroin and opium.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Organized crime and terrorist organizations are thriving once again.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Afghanistan is facing complex and interlinked challenges that the Taliban have shown they cannot \u2013 or would not \u2013 solve.<\/u><\/span><\/p>\r\n It is time to support the Afghan people with concrete solutions that place their needs front and center.<\/p>\r\n It is true that some problems will require some time to resolve.<\/p>\r\n But there are actions the Assembly can take to change the paradigm now.<\/p>\r\n I would like you to consider one solution through solidarity.<\/p>\r\n The ±¬ÁÏÍø humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan \u2013 which requires $4.4 billion US dollars \u2013 is only half funded.<\/p>\r\n With winter weather just weeks away, I encourage Member States to provide urgent support to help reduce the $2.3 billion dollar shortfall.<\/p>\r\n Let\u2019s remind ourselves of the old saying from Afghanistan: \u201cA real friend is one who takes the hand of his friend in times of distress and helplessness.\u201d<\/p>\r\n Excellencies,<\/p>\r\n Afghanistan has a rich history of scientific achievement.<\/p>\r\n I encourage the country\u2019s reengagement with the international science community.<\/p>\r\n And\u00a0to allow women who used to be respected members of the country\u2019s science community to resume their research and their studies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n \u00a0<\/span>Afghanistan is now the only state in the world that would deny girls their full right to education.<\/p>\r\n The prospect of girls\u2019 education has been left to uncertainty amid seemingly random edicts from the Taliban.<\/p>\r\n This time last year, Fawzia Koofi, the first woman Deputy Speaker of the Afghan Parliament, recalled her dream of one day addressing the ±¬ÁÏÍø as the President of Afghanistan.<\/p>\r\n She said:\u00a0\u201cWith me, millions of girls and women in Afghanistan had this dream that now they think will never come true.\u201d<\/p>\r\n Dreams of becoming President have been replaced by the reality of child marriage. Arrests if women and girls leave their home without a male chaperone.<\/p>\r\n I reiterate my call for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of all Afghans, especially women and girls.<\/p>\r\n Similarly, I urge the Taliban to ensure the safety of all Afghans, regardless of gender, ethnic background, religious belief or political affiliation.<\/p>\r\n To protect journalists and civil society members.<\/p>\r\n To allow unhindered humanitarian aid, and to cooperate with humanitarian workers.<\/p>\r\n We expect the Taliban to make good on the commitments they made to the international community.\u00a0To show honesty through\u00a0concrete action.<\/p>\r\n Excellencies,<\/p>\r\n The dramatic changes of 2021 have taken a massive toll on Afghanistan\u2019s economy and profoundly widened many security risks.<\/p>\r\n