UNITED NATIONS/GENEVA – The World Jewish Congress joined the Permanent Mission of The United States to the United Nations in Geneva on Wednesday at the Palais des Nations where diplomatic representatives from dozens of countries gathered for a workshop emphasizing the urgent need for global action against antisemitism and examining the role of the international community in combating it. The UN is reportedly set to finalize its action plan soon to address the issue effectively.
The workshop, Addressing Antisemitism: A Global Human Rights Challenge, was opened by Ambassador Michèle Taylor, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, and was followed by opening remarks by the President of the UN Human Rights Council and Permanent Representative of Morocco, Omar Zniber, as well as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. Both stressed the urgent need for the international community to confront the dramatic rise of antisemitism during the last months.
Ambassador Taylor highlighted, "We have an imperative to discuss the pervasive threat to people, communities, and institutions worldwide that identify as, or are identified as, Jewish, whether ethnic or religious. No one should experience hate, discrimination, or violence simply because of who they are. No community is safe unless we are all safe, and no one's rights are fully protected unless all our rights are protected. By gathering in Geneva mere days before the convening of the 57th session of the Human Rights Council, we reaffirm our resolve to position antisemitism at the forefront of our human rights agenda."
The panel of distinguished senior officials from around the world dedicated to the fight against antisemitism was moderated by Dr. Leon Saltiel, WJC’s Director of Diplomacy and representative to the UN in Geneva. In his remarks, Saltiel sounded the alarm about the unprecedented surge, mainstreaming and normalization of antisemitism and hatred around the world, and shared the fear of Jewish individuals around the world who do not feel safe anymore in their homes or synagogues.
Remarks were delivered by Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, U.S. State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Felix Klein, Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany, and the Fight against Antisemitism, Fernando Lottenberg, OAS Commissioner to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Miguel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, and Katherina von Schnurbein, EU Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism. The panelists spoke of their personal experience in the fight against anti-Jewish hatred, particularly in the recent months following Hamas’s October 7th attack, and shared good practices and ideas.
A Q&A session followed where the diplomatic representatives in attendance had the opportunity to ask a series of questions about the fight against antisemitism and its different dimensions and engage in a constructive discussion with the panelists.
According to Saltiel, "This was a ground-breaking event in a crucial period for Jewish communities worldwide. It served to educate the delegates to the UN Human Rights Council on the global dangers of antisemitism and why it should be a human rights priority for all. We are grateful to Ambassador Michèle Taylor for her leadership in convening this most timely panel discussion."
The event also highlighted the launch of the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism, which focus on fostering collaboration by strengthening partnerships between governments, multilateral organizations and civil society, while outlining actionable solutions to lay the groundwork for future initiatives.
