View previous stories
	Holocaust remembrance by UN News / Yad Vashem   Jan 2011   The United Nations has honoured the memory of the estimated six million Jews and countless others who perished in the Nazi death camps of the Second World War with ceremonies around the world.   The General Assembly in 2005 designated 27 January, the date of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest and most notorious of all of the camps, as the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, and this year"s theme pays special tribute to the suffering of women.   The UN Secretary-General Ban ki Moon said “It is a day to remember the dead – the millions who perished in the darkest chapter of human history”. Above all, it is a day to speak out, to speak out against those who would deny the Holocaust, who would diminish it or "explain" it away.   Paying homage to the millions of Jews and thousands of other victims, including Roma, Slavs, disabled people, homosexuals, Jehovah"s witnesses, communists and other political dissidents “whose lives were brutally cut short by the ideology of hatred of the Nazis and their allies,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stressed that the Holocaust should serve as a reminder of the dangers of marginalization of particular groups and the need for urgent action at the first signs that a climate conducive to genocide is emerging.   “It should remind us that hateful words have the ability to translate into hateful actions. The threat of genocide still remains,” she said in a message.   “While we can never compensate for the Holocaust, or do justice to its millions of victims and their descendants, we can at least ensure that by remembering their suffering, and acting on what we have learned, we can mitigate the suffering of others today and in the future,” she added, stressing the importance of bringing perpetrators to justice.   The United Nations General Assembly,   Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, such as race, religion or other status, Recalling article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person,   Recalling also article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which state that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion,   Bearing in mind that the founding principle of the Charter of the United Nations, “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, is testimony to the indelible link between the United Nations and the unique tragedy of the Second World War,   Recalling the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which was adopted in order to avoid repetition of genocides such as those committed by the Nazi Regime,   Recalling also the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind.. Reaffirming that the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people along with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice. Visit the related web page
	Growing intolerance and racism towards migrants unacceptable says United Nations by Jorge Bustamante UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants   December 2010   Following is a statement by the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, Jorge Bustamante, and the Chairman of the UN Committee on Migrant Workers, Abdelhamid El Jamri, to mark International Migrants Day, which is commemorated on 18 December 2010:   “Today, we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families*, a key day that has been marked by worrying trends in the situation of migrants, both regular and irregular, around the world.   What should be an opportunity to celebrate the successful adjustment of countless migrants to their new environments, enriching their new societies with their cultures, ideas, technologies, skills, or the diversity that they bring, has become a dire warning to renew our efforts to effectively address the legal, social and practical challenges that migrants face.   This year, we particularly note with concern the increasing trend towards criminalization of migration in irregular situation. This criminalization makes migrants in irregular situation more likely to face discrimination, exclusion, exploitation, abuse at all stages of the migration process.   We are especially concerned at the recent rise of intolerance, xenophobia and racism directed at migrants and their communities, which has sometimes manifested itself in acts of extreme violence against migrants in transit and in destination countries. Migrants can also easily fall prey to criminal traffickers and smugglers. Their irregular status often makes these men, women and children afraid or unable to seek protection and relief from the concerned authorities.   We deplore the insufficient progress in mainstreaming human rights into migration governance and wish to remind all stakeholders that migration can be an essential component of development and prosperity in countries of destination, transit and origin in all regions of the world.   We also wish to pay respect to those migrants who have perished at sea while attempting to reach far-off destinations in spite of the inherent dangers of such journeys.   Once again, we reiterate the importance of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, the first comprehensive international treaty focusing on the protection of migrant workers’ rights and on the link between migration and human rights. This Convention provides very useful guidance for States on how to ensure that migration takes place in humane and equitable conditions and with due respect for the human rights of migrant workers and members of their families.   Finally, in order to continue building the path towards the respect of migrant workers’ rights, we reiterate our call to all States which have not yet done so to accede or ratify the Convention and thus seize the opportunity to undertake an important step to ensure the human rights of every person, including those of millions of women, men and children who have abandoned their homes in search of a better life.   For State parties to the Convention, we urge to make the rights guaranteed therein a reality on the ground through concerted action. Civil society, international organisations, and all concerned stakeholders – individually and collectively, are also invited to make the rights guaranteed in the Convention a reality.”   * Learn more about the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Jorge A. Bustamante via the link below. Visit the related web page
	View more stories