International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust 2024; January 27th.

FORUM: “Recognizing the Extraordinary Courage of Victims and Survivors of the Holocaust". International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust 2024. During the Holocaust, the Nazis went to great lengths to dehumanize their victims. Defying the Nazis took extraordinary courage. In 2024, the United Nations is paying tribute to the bravery of all those who stood up to the Nazis, despite the grave risks. We will honor their legacy with their remarkable stories and history. In the memory of all victims and survivors, we will step up our efforts to counter Holocaust denial, antisemitism and racism. Share your reflections with the hashtags: #27January, #HolocaustRemembranceDay.

COMMEMORATIONS: On 26 January 2024, 11:00 a.m. EST will be held the annual Holocaust Memorial Ceremony central event organized in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust 2024 at the United Nations General Assembly Hall. Survivors of the Holocaust will share their testimonies along with invited speakers who include the United Nations Secretary-General; the President of the 78th session of the General Assembly (through recorded message); the Permanent Representative of Israel and a representative of the Permanent Mission of the United States to the United Nations.. The Holocaust Memorial Ceremony will be hosted by Ms. Melissa Fleming, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications. Invited speakers include the Permanent Representative of Israel and the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. Watch at UN WebTV, YouTube and X.

From 22 January to 23 February 2024 will be held an exhibition entitled “Fighting for the Whole World" – Lower Saxony under Nazi Rule at the Visitors' Lobby, United Nations Headquarters. This exhibition traces how events unfolded from 1933 to 1945 in what is today’s state of Lower Saxony, Germany. How the Nazi regime shaped society in Lower Saxony to reflect Nazi ideology, the state-sanctioned crimes, state-fomented violence and intimidation, and responses to the actions of the state and its agents, reflects the experience across Germany and in occupied territories. A closer look at Lower Saxony illuminates the larger history of the Holocaust and expands our knowledge and awareness of the experiences of all who were caught up in the history.

 On Tuesday, 27 February 2024 will be held a Book Talk entitled “The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles during the Holocaust" - 1:00 p.m. EST at UN Bookshop, United Nations Headquarters. Jewish mathematician Dr. Josephine Janina Mehlberg operated in Lublin, headquarters of Aktion Reinhard, the SS operation that murdered 1.7 million Jews in occupied Poland. Masquerading as a Polish aristocrat, the “Countess” persuaded SS officials to release thousands of Poles from Majdanek concentration camp. She secured permission to deliver food and medicine for thousands more inmates, and she smuggled supplies and messages to incarcerated resistance fighters. Incredibly, she eluded detection, survived the war, and emigrated to the United States. Join co-authors Elizabeth B. White and Joanna Sliwa as they discuss how they pieced together Dr. Mehlberg's history and ask why so little about this unrecognized hero is known by the broader public. Elizabeth B. White is the former Research Director for the Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Joanna Sliwa is the historian at the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

COMMEMORATION AT UNESCO

Concert and official ceremony start at 6 p.m. in Room I, UNESCO Paris. Doors open 5 p.m. Entrance from Avenue de Suffren.

In 2024, UNESCO will mark the International Day with a series of events organized at UNESCO Headquarters, commemorating the memory of millions of victims of the Holocaust and reflecting on the universal legacy of this genocide through music, art and survivor testimonies.

The 2024 commemoration is organized in partnership with the Foundation "Institute of Concentrationary Music Literature", the USC Shoah Foundation and the Shoah Memorial. The events are generously supported by the Permanent Delegations of Belgium, Germany, Italy and Monaco to UNESCO and the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah.

UNESCO also acknowledges the valuable support from the Montreal Holocaust Museum and "We are the tree of life" association.

Commemoration ceremony and concert reviving the music from the Holocaust

Thursday 25 January 2024, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
UNESCO Paris, Room I, doors open at 5.15 p.m. Early arrival is advised.

To commemorate the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, UNESCO will host a world premiere of a special concert reviving music from the concentration camps and ghettos. Italian composer and conductor Francesco Lotoro spent years recovering compositions created and played under Nazi persecution - a powerful reminder of the endurance of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable horrors. At the concert, his orchestra will bring these melodies to life on stage for the first time since World War II, coupled with survivors’ testimonies. The ceremony will also include traditional Jewish prayers in the memory of Holocaust victims, including a recital of Kol Nidre (All Vows) on a violin rescued from the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp and Kaddish, performed by the opera singer David Serero.

• In the presence of: Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General
• Francois Heilbronn, Vice-President of the Shoah Memoria
• Charlotte Knobloch, World Jewish Congress Holocaust Memory Commissioner and President of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria

The commemoration ceremony will be moderated by Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education.

"Blue skies": exhibition reflecting on collective trauma and remembrance

From 23 January to 9 February 2024, Monday to Friday from 9 to 5.30 p.m.,
UNESCO Paris, Pas Perdus Hall

The multimedia exhibition “Blue Skies” by Belgian artist Anton Kusters is a striking reflection on collective trauma and remembrance. Kusters spent 6 years photographing empty skies above Nazi concentration and extermination camps across Europe - locations where millions were killed, yet little physical evidence remains today. Each of his 1078 blue sky images, stamped with GPS coordinates and victim numbers and accompanied by a video installation and a sound piece by Ruben Samama, explores how we witness, process pain and choose to remember almost 80 years after the liberation of the last camp. The Blue Skies Project is curated by Monica Allende.

CAMPAIGN MATERIALS

Other statements

1. Statement from President Joe Biden on International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2024
2. Holocaust Memorial Day 2024 - House of Lords Library
3. International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2024: The fragility of freedom - European Parliament Think Tank
4. Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day 2024 - Yad Vashem
5. About the Holocaust Remembrance Day and Yom ha Shoah - Jüdisches Museum Berlin.

UNOV Commemorative Ceremony to mark the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust 2024

International Day of Clean Energy 2024; January 26th.

FORUM: “Remind the world its commitment to universal clean energy access and meeting the Paris Agreement climate goal.” International Day of Clean Energy 2024. With a dedicated focus on advocating for clean and renewable energy sources, this occasion serves as a unifying platform for governments, businesses, and individuals across the globe to expedite the shift towards more sustainable and efficient energy systems. Let us unite in advancing awareness, innovation, and collaborative efforts to address climate change and ensure a cleaner, greener planet for generations to come. Clean energy plays a key role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and helping communities access reliable power sources. The Sustainable Development Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy) aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030. The IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook calls for a tripling of annual renewable power capacity additions from around 300 gigawatts (GW) to 1000 GW on average until 2030 globally. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #SE4LL, #sdg7, #cleanenergyday, #26January, #renewableenergy, #energytransition, #greenenergy, #smartgrids, #CleanEnergy.

EVENTS: On January 26th, the United Nations will mark the first International Day of Clean Energy, representing a significant milestone in our collective commitment to a sustainable future. the UN-energy, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and stakeholders will held a high-level event to mark the International Day of Clean Energy 2024 to showcase the ways to achieve a just and inclusive energy transition. The event will Explore our new Strategic Plan for 2024-2026. This plan will guide our activities over the coming three years and has been designed to address the biggest obstacles to a just and equitable energy transition.

From 4-6 June; The 2024 Sustainable Energy for All Global Forum will be held in Bridgetown, Barbados, co-hosted by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the Government of Barbados, led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley. The SEforALL Global Forum has become the landmark global gathering to drive faster, broader progress on universal access to sustainable energy, as called for by SDG7. It is a platform for government, business and finance leaders, entrepreneurs, youth and community representatives from around the world to come together to broker new partnerships, spur new investment and address challenges at the nexus of energy, climate and development. The 2024 event will give particular focus to the imperative for a just and equitable energy transition that delivers climate progress while forging development opportunities for low- and middle-income countries and Small Island Developing States by ending energy poverty. Register to participate to the Sustainable Energy for All Global Forum 2024.

WEBINARS: On February 16th 2024 a webinar entitled ‘‘Africa Renewable Energy Manufacturing Initiative: South-South Virtual Policy Dialogue Series will be held online. Get informations on the upcoming webinars!

Statement of the United Nations Secretary-General on International Day of Clean Energy 2024; January 26th. 

Clean energy is the gift that keeps giving: It can purify polluted air; Meet growing energy demand; Secure supplies; And connect billion of people to affordable power – helping to ensure electricity access to all by 2030. That is all while saving money and saving the planet. A fair, just, equitable, and urgent transition from dirty fossil fuels to clean energy is essential to avoid the worst of climate chaos and spur sustainable development.
So, I celebrate this first International Day of Clean Energy; I applaud the work of the International Renewable Energy Agency; And I welcome the call made by countries at COP28 to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030.
It is my firm belief that fossil fuel phase out is not only necessary, it is inevitable. But we need governments to act, to accelerate the transition, with the biggest emitters leading the way. That means unleashing a surge in climate finance – particularly, governments reforming the business model of multilateral development banks so that affordable finance flows. It means countries creating new national climate plans by 2025 that map a fair and just transition to clean power. And it means governments closing the door on the fossil fuel era – with justice and equity. Our clean energy future is unstoppable. Together, let's bring it into being faster. Thank You.

United Nations Secretary-General.

OTHER STATEMENTS

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• Statement of Mr. Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UN Development Programme and Co-Chair of UN-Energy on International Day of Clean Energy 2024; January 26th.

• Statement of Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy on International Day of Clean Energy 2024; January 26th.

• Statement of Mr. Li Junhua, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and head of the UN-Energy Secretariat on International Day of Clean Energy 2024; January 26th.

International Customs Day 2024; January 26th.

FORUM: “Engaging Traditional and New Partners with Purpose.” International Customs Day 2024. The World Customs Organization (WCO) is dedicating 2024 to . 4 to Customs Engaging Traditional and New Partners with Purpose. The Secretariat is inviting Members to look at how they support newly-recruited officers, facilitate the sharing of knowledge, and heighten the sense of pride in being part of this institution and of the global Customs community. The WCO Members will have the opportunity to showcase the efforts and activities in this domain. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #InternationalCustomsDay, #26January, #Customs.

EVENTS: While the observance of the International Customs Day 2024 is on January 26th, this date is even more special as it marks the Anniversary of the WCO - a unique Organization dedicated to international cooperation and the sharing of knowledge.

UPCOMMING CONFERENCES: Register to participate to the WCO Global AEO Conference 2024 which will be held from 8 to 10 May 2024 in Shenzhen, China. the 6th WCO Global AEO Conference will explore the theme of "Harnessing the Power of AEO Programmes for Inclusive and Sustainable Global Trade." This global 3-day event will bring together key stakeholders from around the world to delve into the transformative potential of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes. Experience insightful plenary sessions, engaging discussions on empowering women in global trade, leveraging technology for risk management and trade facilitation, and much more. The Exhibition, running in parallel to the Conference, offers ample opportunities for networking and gaining detailed insights concerning the AEO programmes all over the world. Do not miss this unique opportunity to shape the future of AEO programmes and their impact on global trade. Follow us on social media using #WCOAEO2024 for updates and join us in Shenzhen to be part of this dynamic conversation.

PUBLICATIONS: Get the following resources to read about Customs!

The Harmonized System (a Universal Language for International Trade) allows a world of many languages to speak with one. It enables the identification of thousands of products that cross our borders thanks to its 6 digits hierarchical structures. It is a multipurpose nomenclature and a reference for trade, the HS is one of the most successful instruments developed by the World Customs Organization. Its Convention has 156 Contracting Parties and the HS is used by more than 200 countries, territories and Customs or Economic Unions. It forms the basis for Customs tariffs and statistical nomenclatures around the world, and is used for around 98% of world trade.


This fourth volume deals with the Global Information and Intelligence Strategy developed by the Secretariat of the World Customs Organization together with Customs Administrations Members of WCO. It is a summary document which sets out the framework for an information and intelligence management plan aimed at optimizing controls on the cross-frontier movement of goods and facilitating legitimate trade. This material is intended both for Customs administrations and for their partners, being both the sources and the users of information and intelligence.


The World Customs Organization (WCO) Handbook on HS Classification is an essential introduction to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, also known as the Harmonized System or HS. This 3rd edition 2022 of the HS Manual expands on the previous 2013 version in several ways and will be of interest to experts and beginners alike. It explains the origins of the Harmonized System, the complete procedure leading to classification decisions, sets out the provisions for its maintenance and describes the complementary publications of the Harmonized System.


The Compendium of Classification Opinions regroups the list of classification opinions taken by the Harmonized System Committee. Most of these classification opinions are present at a sub-heading level (6 digits) in the Nomenclature and address the classification of products such as “Mozzarella cheese” 0406.10. The Classification Opinions aim to facilitate the interpretation of the HS Nomenclature and its Explanatory Notes. For the last 35 years, the Harmonized System has become a universal customs language for classifying goods and is the foundation of all National tariff around the world.


Explanatory Notes to the Harmonized System 2022 are interpretative texts developed by the Harmonized System Committee and adopted by the Council. They provide technical descriptions of goods and practical indications for the classification and identification of products.

STATEMENTS: Message by the Secretary-General of the WCO on International Customs Day 2024; January 26th.

International Day of Education 2024; January 24th.

FORUM: “Learning for lasting peace.“ International Day of Education 2024. The world is seeing a surge of violent conflicts paralleled by a concerning rise of discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and hate speech. According to the Global Peace Index 2023, the average level of global peacefulness deteriorated for the 13th time in the last 15 years. 2022 was recorded as the deadliest year since 1994, the year of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and the Yugoslav wars. In 2022, the overall global economic impact of violence increased by USD 1 trillion to a total of about 17.5 trillion, almost a quarter of global GDP. In our interconnected and interdependent world, these numbers do not capture the magnitude of human suffering, nor of the shocks they cause to the societal fabric around the world. The impact of conflicts is felt far beyond war zones and transcends any boundary based on geography, gender, race, religion, politics, offline and online, and leaves a legacy of traumas. Hate speech, in particular, not only causes harm at the personal level and can incite group-targeted violence: it is also an attack on inclusion, diversity and human rights. In this context, an active commitment to peace is more urgent than ever. This commitment ought to surpass security and defense measures to prevent or stop conflicts, for peace does not begin where violence ends. Sustaining peace requires a strong foundation of inclusive, democratic and participatory governance, dialogue, solidarity, mutual understanding and cooperation, sustainable development, gender equality and the general realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Education is key to this endeavor. This pertinent role of education should reverberate in the ongoing negotiations towards a Pact for the Future to be launched at the Summit of the Future in 2024. The Education for peace needs to be transformative at its core, as jointly underlined by the UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development, and the report of the International Commission on the Futures of Education which calls for a new social contract for education. Anchored on a strong foundation of accessibility, equity and quality, education, especially when mainstreamed in global peacebuilding efforts, can play a protective role when there is a continuity of learning, especially for those marginalized during conflict. Education can also contribute to redressing inequities inequalities and injustices by ensuring that all learners are represented and recognized in all facets of education. Lastly, it can facilitate post-conflict recovery justice and reconciliation. Education placed at the center of our commitment to peace can help empower learners with the necessary knowledge, values, attitudes and skills and behaviours to become agents of peace in their immediate communities. As conceptualized in UNESCO’s Global Citizenship Education, these defenses of peace include cognitive, social and emotional skills, and behavioural competencies to, for example, address issues ranging from hate speech and discrimination to all violent conflicts. The International Day of Education 2024 aims to:

• Mobilize Member States and partners to maintain education at the top of the political agenda and deliver on their TES and Education 2030 commitments;
• Generate visibility at the local and global levels on the importance of education in strengthening and sustaining peace, as outlined in SDG4 Target 4.7, and other global education efforts;
• Advocate for higher levels of domestic and international financing for education in general, and education for peace in particular, especially through innovative and multi-stakeholder mechanisms and partnerships;
• Highlight and celebrate the peacemaking role of youth and educators in and through education towards just, inclusive and peaceful societies;
• Provide a platform to discuss priorities and challenges for education for peace in contexts of increased protracted global crisis and conflicts;
• Rally influencers and the wider civil society to push forward the movement to bring education into the center of local national regional and global peacebuilding efforts;
• Raise awareness for effective approaches in education for peace and mobilize commitment for their implementation.

Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #EndLearningPoverty, #Education2030, #DayofEducation, #24January, #EducationforPeace, #Learningforpeace, #education, SDG4.

EVENTS: On January 24th, the celebration of the International Day of Education 2024 with the theme “Learning for lasting peace.” will be held at UNESCO Heaquaters in Paris. Learning for peace must be transformative, and help empower learners with the necessary knowledge, values, attitudes and skills and behaviours to become agents of peace in their communities. A transformed and well-resourced education system can be an effective long-term preventative tool that protect, build and sustain peace before, during and after conflict. Before conflict, such an education can lay the preventative foundations that make conflicts difficult to erupt by helping all learners realize their fundamental human right to accessible and equitable quality education. Read UNESCO’s concept note for the 2024 celebration, download the programme and watch the event.

STATEMENTS: Read the Statement by the United Nations Secretary-General on International Day of Education 2024; January 24th and the Statement of the Director-General of the UNESCO on International Day of Education 2024; January 24th.




HIGHT LEVEL EVENT: Learning for lasting peace - International Day of Education 2024  at ECOSOC Chamber, UNHQ. Livestream

World Braille Day 2024; January 4th.

FORUM: "Honoring the Louis Braille Legacy." World Braille Day 2024. Braille is a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number, and even musical, mathematical and scientific symbols. Braille (named after its inventor in 19th century France, Louis Braille) is used by blind and partially sighted people to read the same books and periodicals as those printed in a visual font. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #Worldbrailleday, #LouisBraille, #braille, #4January, #Braillecode.

EVENTS: On Thrusday, January 4th, for World Braille Day 2024; The United Nations Department of Global Communications, the UNESCO, the DGACM and United Nations Regional Information Centres will host a webinar to mark the birth anniversary of Louis Braille.

WEBINARS: Enhance Braille Literacy, hosted by the California School for the Blind.

PUBLICATION: World Braille usage: a survey of efforts towards uniformity of Braille notation.

CAMPAIGN: Everyone deserves, and is legally entitled to, information in a format they can understand and this day raises awareness of braille as an additional accessible format.