International Holocaust Remembrance Day

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed annually on 27 January and commemorates the victims of the Holocaust — the systematic murder carried out by Nazi Germany and its collaborators against Jews in Europe, and also other groups that were persecuted and killed. The date of 27 January marks the day in 1945 when Soviet forces liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland.

The United Nations General Assembly formally recognized the day in 2005, calling on member states to promote educational programmes that prevent such atrocities from occurring again. Many countries also observe their own national commemoration dates.

Origins and UN decision

Before 2005, countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom were already observing 27 January. The UN General Assembly then adopted a resolution calling for the day to become a global observance. The resolution rejected denial or distortion of the Holocaust and urged states to preserve the historical sites of camps and related archives.

Commemorations

Observances typically include ceremonies where the names of victims are read, testimonies from survivors, lighting of candles, and educational programmes on tolerance, combating prejudice, and preventing persecution. Memorial institutions such as Yad Vashem (Israel), the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum hold programmes on the day.

Victims

The estimated number of Jews killed in the Holocaust is approximately six million. The Nazi system also systematically targeted Roma and Sinti, people with disabilities, prisoners of war from the Soviet Union, political prisoners, and others. Some countries include all these groups in their commemorations, while others focus primarily on Jewish victims.