Holocaust Remembrance Day: Safeguarding Humanity

On January 27, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) joins the United Nations in observing the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. This date marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945, an event that exposed the scale of human cruelty and the devastating impact of hatred, antisemitism, and moral indifference. Established by Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly 60/7 of 1 November 2005, “Holocaust remembrance,” this day calls upon each generation to remember, reflect, and take responsibility for ensuring that such crimes never recur. As reflected in the United Nations 2026 theme, “Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights,” it is an act of memory and a reaffirmation of humanity’s shared commitment to dignity, human rights, and peace.

The Holocaust remains a defining tragedy in human history, a systematic attempt to erase an entire people and erode human dignity worldwide. Its legacy shaped the postwar international order and contributed to the creation of the United Nations, as well as to the development of key postwar human rights frameworks, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted in 1948. Together, these instruments affirm the collective responsibility of the international community to protect human life and dignity. 

In 2026, the United Nations places particular focus on Holocaust remembrance as a foundation for dignity and human rights, a focus that closely aligns with the mission of UPF. Amid rising hatred, xenophobia, and the distortion of historical truth, reflection on the Holocaust serves not only as a duty to the victims, but as a practical guide for forming partnerships that advance human rights and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The values of memory and moral responsibility stand at the heart of the mission of the Universal Peace Federation. Founded by Dr. Hak Ja Han and Rev. Sun Myung Moon, UPF holds that memory of past suffering must inform action through compassion, solidarity, and initiatives that unite political, religious, academic, and young leaders in conscience-based dialogue. UPF expresses this commitment in concrete ways across regions, particularly through educational and civic initiatives that link historical experience with moral responsibility.

For example, in Italy, UPF partners organized Holocaust remembrance programs with municipalities and public schools on January 27, 2023 and January 27, 2024, engaging hundreds of students through survivor testimonies, poetry, and discussions on peace education and historical responsibility.

In Austria, memorial visits to the former Nazi concentration camp of Mauthausen in March 2018 and on April 23, 2023 included interfaith reflections at the granite quarry and educational programs linking historical memory with contemporary responsibility.

In Eastern Europe, remembrance has been expressed through Peace Road initiatives linking youth civic engagement with Holocaust memory. These initiatives demonstrate UPF’s role as a United Nations partner in moral education, translating remembrance into practical engagement for peace. In Slovakia, a public interfaith event on February 7, 2024 emphasized dialogue with Jewish communities, educators, and survivors. In Czechia, a public lecture held in Prague on May 29, 2023 addressed the Holocaust as a consequence of racism and ideological dehumanization. In Ukraine, Peace Road initiatives between 2015 and 2021 included educational journeys, bicycle rides, and a visit from Kyiv to Auschwitz from July 12 to 15, 2019, connecting remembrance with civic responsibility.

Within this broader international context, on January 27, 2015, a Youth Meeting on Holocaust Remembrance Day was held in Moscow on Poklonnaya Hill. Similar educational visits have also been conducted since the mid 2010s and ongoing in Moscow by youth participants of the Mister and Miss University program organized by the Universal Peace Federation, who have visited the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, one of Russia’s principal sites of Holocaust remembrance. 

Within the framework of the Middle East Peace Initiative, UPF has also facilitated encounters among parliamentarians, religious leaders, educators, and youth from diverse backgrounds. These programs have included interreligious visits to Yad Vashem on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem, where participants stand together in silence to honor the victims of the Holocaust and to reflect on the responsibilities such memory places upon humanity today. These visits show how shared silence at Yad Vashem fosters reconciliation among diverse groups.

Across its global activities, UPF continues to promote education that confronts prejudice and nurtures moral awareness, reinforcing the link between remembrance, civic responsibility, and peacebuilding. In the Netherlands, UPF has taken part in Peace Road initiatives that culminated in visits to the Dutch Holocaust Memorial of Names in Amsterdam on September 26, 2021, where interfaith and intergenerational participants honored the memory of more than 102,000 Dutch victims of the Holocaust through moments of silence, prayer, and the laying of flowers. Similar acts of remembrance have taken place in Germany, including Peace Road events in Berlin in September 2018 and July 2024 that incorporated reflection and prayer at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe as part of broader interfaith peace initiatives. 

The Universal Peace Federation encourages governments, civil society organizations, educators, and media professionals to deepen cooperation in countering all forms of antisemitism, racism, and discrimination, both online and offline. 

In the year marking the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we honor those lost by advancing concrete UPF projects that uphold historical truth and strengthen peace through justice and cooperation. Concretely, this commitment takes shape in three areas: first, deepening cooperation with the United Nations and its agencies in promoting dignity and human rights; second, expanding educational initiatives that address antisemitism, genocide prevention, and moral responsibility, particularly among youth; and third, strengthening sustained interfaith dialogue as a practical tool for reconciliation and social cohesion. In this way, “never again” is carried forward as responsible action for the present and the future.

Dr. Tageldin Hamad, President, UPF-International January 27, 2026