Secretary-General Deeply Saddened at Passing of Messenger of Peace Elie Wiesel, Powerful Voice for Holocaust Victims, Global Equality, Tolerance

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General was deeply saddened at the passing of Elie Wiesel, a powerful voice for Holocaust remembrance and long-standing United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Elie Wiesel turned the nightmare of his youth into a lifelong campaign for global equality and peace.  As a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 1998, he called for constant vigilance in combatting anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred.  He was a regular presence at the United Nations, including at the first-ever International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.  Mr. Wiesel often spoke about his experiences at the Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp and appealed to the world to “reject indifference” in the face of genocide, discrimination and other horrors.

The Secretary-General extends his condolences to Mr. Wiesel’s wife, family and all others touched by this loss.  The world has lost one of its most important witnesses and one of its most eloquent advocates of tolerance and peace.  The United Nations is grateful for Mr. Wiesel’s contributions and remains strongly committed to Holocaust remembrance and the wider struggle for human rights for all.