- The IHRA is growing:
Portugal has applied to become an IHRA Member Country and North Macedonia has applied for Liaison Country status, taking its first step from observer status to full membership. The applications will be presented at the Luxembourg City Plenary Session and discussed by the current IHRA Member Countries. Want to know what it takes to become an IHRA Member Country? Have a look at our Membership and Application Procedure. - Exciting developments in Serbia:
News about the efforts to protect the former concentration camps Staro Sajmište and Topovske Šupe in Belgrade will be followed closely by all Member Countries. IHRA Chair Ambassador Georges Santer has visited Staro Sajmište several times, and at the Luxembourg City Plenary, the Serbian delegation will present the latest on the matter, including the drafting of a new law protecting the sites. - New year, new chairs:
Six experts from five different countries will assume the leadership positions of the IHRA Working Groups and Committees for the coming year. Daniel Gerson (Switzerland), Zuzana Pavlovska (Czech Republic) and Mark Weitzmann (United States) will take over chairmanship of the Academic, Education, and Memorials and Museums Working Groups, while the three Committees on Antisemitism, on the Genocide of the Roma, and on the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity will be chaired by Robert Williams (current chair; United States), Martin Korcok (Slovakia), and Clint Curle (Canada) respectively. - Sobibor project: An example of international cooperation:
Since 2008, four IHRA Member Countries – Israel, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Poland – have collaborated on a project concerned with creating a new museum and memorial at the site of the former death camp Sobibor. During its final stage, this international project received a significant monetary contribution from Germany, having already contributed greatly to the archaeological knowledge and history of the camp and the people who were sent there. The Polish delegation will share news on the development. - New Recommendations for Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust:
Last but not least, the Plenary will decide on the adoption of the brand-new Recommendations for Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust that have been put together by experts from IHRA Member Countries. The Recommendations will be published in partnership with UNESCO and aim to empower teachers and educators and to inform policymakers about the importance of Holocaust education, so that the commitments of the Stockholm Declaration can be honored.
The biannual IHRA Plenary meetings will take place in Luxembourg City on 2-5 December and bring together over 250 delegates from a network of policymakers and Holocaust experts from more than 40 countries to discuss efforts in the field of Holocaust education, remembrance, and research. The decision-making Plenary Session on 4 and 5 December will conclude the second and final Plenary meetings hosted by the 2019 Luxembourg IHRA Chairmanship.
Photo: IHRA delegates from 33 Member Countries, as well as Liaison and Observer Countries and Permanent International Partners, will meet one last time in 2019 for the Luxembourg City Plenary on 2-5 December. Credit: Martin Korcok