The events of the Holocaust scarred humanity and today our world continues to confront their legacy. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) identifies the most pressing post-Holocaust issues across the globe, casting a spotlight upon them for the benefit of experts and policymakers, and it promotes practicable actions to address them.
We solicit input from a range of disciplines and geographical regions and ensure that our recommendations are backed by research, informed by best practice and communicated effectively.
In the period 2018 – 2024 the IHRA’s experts and political representatives are focusing their efforts on countering Holocaust distortion and safeguarding the historical record. We do this by building an engaged network, by sharing practices and by making those practices visible and accessible to decision-makers. In this way we ensure accurate and sensitive remembrance of history with a view to informing the policymaking of today.
Read more about our special focus on countering distortion and safeguarding the historical record.
Sharing Practices
“We pledge to strengthen our efforts to promote education, remembrance and research about the Holocaust, both in those of our countries that have already done much and those that choose to join this effort.”
– Article 4 of the Stockholm Declaration
Each country’s relationship with its past is distinct, yet there are many common challenges that states face in their efforts to advance Holocaust education, research and remembrance. The IHRA provides a critical forum for its Member Countries to communicate about their specific national experiences and to work together with counterparts to develop international best practices which are sensitive to national contexts.
These practices, relating to commemorative events, preservation of sites, teaching, archival access and other key topics, enable each country to benefit from the experiences of others. Once practices are implemented, member countries continue to report to their IHRA peers as part each country’s ongoing obligation to meet the commitments enshrined in the Stockholm Declaration.
We share practices through our educational materials and academic publications.
Historically-Informed Policymaking
We must strengthen the moral commitment of our peoples, and the political commitment of our governments, to ensure that future generations can understand the causes of the Holocaust and reflect upon its consequences.
- Article 3 of the Stockholm Declaration
Delegates to the IHRA include many of the world’s leading scholars in the history of the Holocaust, the events that led to it and its legacy. Heading each of IHRA's national delegations is a senior governmental representative, often from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Culture.
Twice a year, more than 300 experts and policymakers from over 40 countries come together to discuss and advance Holocaust-related issues of contemporary political importance. This unique format creates the opportunity for multiple types of valuable exchange: experts and governmental representatives have the opportunity to develop working relationships with their counterparts from their own country, and the opportunity to network with colleagues who hold similar roles around the world.
This interface between the expert and political levels means that IHRA is uniquely positioned to take the lead of issues related to the Holocaust in the political arena. We aim to make knowledge from the past visible and accessible to governments today through our working definitions and charters.
Building Cooperation
Through regular meetings of IHRA’s expert and political levels and with an internal communication framework that enables practitioners spread across the globe to easily connect with one another, the IHRA serves as a model of how international and intergovernmental cooperation can work on a practical level.
Paying heed to its own practices and procedures enables the IHRA to operate efficiently and professionally despite the logistical challenges of being a decentralized global body. As a result, when an issue emerges that requires a coordinated response, the IHRA’s network is well equipped to take action.
Focus Areas
