Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic-Radman attended the high-level International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism in Malmo on Wednesday, the ministry reported in a press release.

The forum was organised to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Stockholm Declaration and the establishment of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

The aim of the forum is to recall that antisemitism and all forms of intolerance represent a threat to democratic societies and the need to oppose the negation of the Holocaust and antisemitism through better protection and promotion of democratic values and human rights.

Given that 75 years have passed since the end of the Second World War, soon there will be no living witnesses of the Holocaust. We have an obligation to future generations to pass on the truth about that tragic chapter of our past, the press release said.

Grlic-Radman participated in a panel discussion on education about the Holocaust and warned that education is not only important for younger generations but for everyone, considering that understanding and knowledge about the Holocaust, its causes and consequences is decreasing on a global level.

Croatia to chair IHRA in 2023

Croatia is the first IHRA member to have translated IHRA’s recommendations for education and learning about the Holocaust, placing special focus on increasing awareness among elementary and secondary school students about the Holocaust, Grlic-Radman said.

Next year, as part of its regular cooperation with the Yad Vashem centre in Jerusalem, Croatia plans to conduct a seven-day seminar on teaching about the Holocaust. In cooperation with the Parish Memorial de la Shoah Museum, it will also organise two international dialogues with neighbouring countries, he announced.