Following the success of our own international forum, on the next generations, in partnership with the Chelsea Foundation earlier this month, I am now greatly looking forward to participating this week in the Malmo International Forum. Not least as this will be an opportunity to see and meet again with colleagues from around the world.
The Malmo forum has been convened by the Swedish government ahead of it taking the Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) next spring with the aim of urging the International community to pledge commitment to Holocaust remembrance and combating Holocaust distortion and antisemitism.
Although I have occasionally written about IHRA, not all readers will be aware that it is an intergovernmental body whose purpose is to unite governments and experts to strengthen, advance, and promote Holocaust education, remembrance, and research. It is an honour to have been a member of the UK delegation since 2006.
Sweden has a pivotal role in the history of Holocaust remembrance. Famously, it was a former Prime Minister, Göran Persson, who initiated what became IHRA in January 2000, together with Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, owing to a concern about the lack of knowledge and effective teaching about the Holocaust.
Fast forward to today. On 13 October 2021, the current Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Löfven, will welcome government representatives to the Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism, Remember ReAct, to declare their commitment to Holocaust remembrance, education, and research, and to countering Holocaust distortion.
The Malmö International Forum takes place 21 years after the Stockholm Declaration and one year after the 2020 Ministerial Declaration, at a time when antisemitism, Holocaust distortion, antigypsyism and other forms of discrimination are on the rise globally. The #RememberReact Forum is an important signal of the international community’s commitment to taking concrete actions against Holocaust denial and distortion, antisemitism, and other forms of racism.
Together with Lord Pickles, the UK Envoy for Post Holocaust Issues, and colleagues in government, I have contributed to the drafting of the UK’s pledges to be announced at Malmo. Through a series of commitments we will demonstrate our determination to ensure the Holocaust is remembered and taught effectively, and how antisemitism and Holocaust denial and distortion will be countered. In so doing, we are part of the campaign to Protect the Facts.
Michael Newman
Chief Executive
