UNESCO’s Education programme for Holocaust remembrance
UNESCO started its Education programme for Holocaust remembrance in 1997. This programme develops tools and educational material, school curricula and provides training for teachers about the Holocaust and human rights, with the goal of promoting a culture of peace.
On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2011, the Director-General announced the strengthening of UNESCO’s education programme on Holocaust remembrance and human rights thanks to new funds received from Israel for this purpose.
UNESCO's activities
- UNESCO developed a platform on its portal which allows accessing to a range of online resources on education for Holocaust remembrance, elaborated by major international bodies promoting information and awareness on the Holocaust. These include toolkits for teachers, ideas for curriculum development or multi-media resources.
- UNESCO published also in 2010 “Combating Intolerance, Exclusion and Violence through Holocaust Education” (proceedings of the meeting at UNESCO in May 2009). The publication seeks to know how teaching Holocaust could be used in an African context to tackle themes such as peace and conflict, Human rights’ violations, tolerance, racism and respect of diversity.
- UNESCO organises specific workshops on Holocaust education for the UNESCO Associated Schools (ASPnet). Recently, the UNESCO Associated Schools (ASPnet) Israel, in collaboration with ASPnet Germany and Canada, held a teacher training workshop on Human Rights Education and Holocaust Education from 30 January to 4 Febuary 2011 in Beit Berl, Israel.
- UNESCO also raises awareness of the Holocaust remembrance by celebrating each year the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust at UNESCO Headquarters and by organising conferences and projections of films.