27 January 2012.  UN event marks Annual International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. The event is observed annually on the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. This year’s theme was “Chidlren and the Holocaust.”

26 January 2012. European Parliament marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day. (David Peterson, Brussels)

21 January 2012. At Holocaust remembrance ceremony UN official urges protection of children from war. (UN News Centre)

25 January 2012. Raising awareness of Holocaust essential to prevent acts of hatred – UN official. (UN News Centre)

Widespread education through the media, special events and other initiatives that provide information on the history and lessons of the Holocaust are essential to help prevent future genocides and mass atrocities, a top United Nations official said at an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy in Ukraine. The UN event was held as part of a series of events in memory of Holocaust victims.

“Some one-and-a-half million Jews were killed by the Nazis and their collaborators in Ukraine,” said Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyo Akasaka. “They were the first mass victims of the shocking and sustained murder that the world would come to know as the Holocaust.” Mr. Akasaka stressed the need to keep the memory of the victims alive, and highlighted the work of the UN in doing so. “The UN Department of Public Information actively engages Member States, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society – and our own network of UN information centers around the world – to raise awareness about the Holocaust and the dangers of hatred,” he said. 

Other reports of the Commemoration:

27 January 2012. UN honours memory of children who perished in the Holocaust. (UN News Centre)

27 January 2012. Ottawa: Ministers Kenney and Baird issue statement on the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. (Marketwire)

27 January 2012. Limited Commemorations. (David Mills, First Things)

27 January 2012. Their denial and our silence mock mock International Holocaust Memorial Day. (Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Huffington Post)

28 January 2012. UN holds Holocaust memorial ceremony. (Dajiworld)

28 January 2012. Holocaust memorial speaks volumes. (Bradford Telegraph and Argus)