Making the United Nations Relevant to all People– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly
26 June 2019
Secretary-General, António Guterres,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Mr. Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief,
Ms. Katharina von Schnurbein, European Coordinator on combating anti-Semitism,
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein,
“I didn’t think it could happen here.” This is the cry of Jewish people across the world – alarmed by the sharp increase in anti-Semitic violence and abuse.
According to the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, last year saw the highest number of fatal anti-Semitic attacks for decades. In the United States, the Anti-Defamation League reported that attacks doubled in 2018. The shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh was the deadliest single attack on the Jewish community in US history. Barely six months later, at the Chabad synagogue in Poway, one worshipper was killed and three injured, including Rabbi Goldstein, who is here today – thank you, Rabbi, for coming to share your testimony with us.
These attacks are despicable. But, sadly, they come as no surprise. While the Special Rapporteur on racism has highlighted the deeply unsettling spread of neo-Nazism, Jewish people know only too well that anti-Semitism never went away. It has continued to fester in our societies.
What is frightening now is that it is no longer confined to extremist groups. As researchers from Tel Aviv University have said: anti-Semitism “has mainstreamed”.
It is part of a broader surge in intolerance, racism and xenophobia – which has seen us return to this Hall several times already this year, to discuss hate speech, nationalist populism and supremacist ideologies, and attacks against Muslims and Christians, as well as Jews; against people of all faiths and none.
And we know what can happen when hate goes unchecked: six million slaughtered during the Holocaust. Hundreds of thousands massacred in Rwanda 25 years ago. We paid tribute to them here just two months ago.
Excellencies,
We must redouble our efforts to ensure that “never again” becomes more than a slogan at last. We must work harder to ensure that the seeds of hate do not find fertile ground.
Part of that work, I believe, is education: to addressing intolerance; to combating falsehood and disinformation; to neutering the appeal of populists and extremists. And I commend UNESCO’s longstanding efforts to prevent anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of intolerance.
But we must not see education as a “vaccination” that gives you immunity for life. Remembering the Holocaust should not be confined to history class. Discussions about Buddhism, Hinduism and other faiths should not be optional. Studies have shown that even in diverse, well-educated communities, there is a shocking lack of knowledge about past atrocities and contemporary forms of discrimination.
And it is not just “education”. We have seen highly educated people lead the onslaught against the values we hold so dear as a modern civilization. Changing mindsets, courageously standing up for values, each time they are challenged, and taking a stand against every manifestation of intolerance-those collective acts of affirmation of what is right, what is acceptable, form the bulwark against those forces that seek to pull us into the abyss.
We must redouble our efforts to ensure that “never again” becomes more than a slogan at last. We must work harder to ensure that the seeds of hate do not find fertile ground.
Last year, I visited Auschwitz – and the experience still moves me deeply. As we begin to think about lifelong learning in the context of the 2030 Agenda, let us be creative in devising ongoing opportunities for reflection on peace and tolerance. The General Assembly’s recent decision to designate 22 August as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion and Belief provides a golden opportunity for us all to do so.
And we must also extend our vigilance to the internet and social media. They are powerful tools that support education and tolerance, but too often, they are used to spread hatred and distort reality and truth. The World Jewish Congress estimates that over 100 social media posts per day deny the Holocaust. While demagogues co-opt the language of human rights to defend their propaganda, let us be clear: hate speech isn’t free speech. It’s racism.
So I am grateful that our meeting today will focus on these issues.
I commend the Secretary-General on the new UN Strategy on Hate Speech – and I look forward to hearing from Member States and our distinguished speakers on how we can harness digital tools for good.
Dear friends,
As we sit in this Hall today – and indeed, after we leave it – let us not forget the words of Elie Wiesel:
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference”
“Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented … Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.”
Our presence here today at the United Nations General Assembly is a strong and profound message of love for humankind and of our commitment to shape a world and a future that is peaceful and brighter for all.
Thank you.
