The United Nations announced new measures on Friday aimed at addressing the rising tide of antisemitism, emphasizing the importance of enforcing laws against hate crimes and discrimination by governments around the world.
Created in the aftermath of the Holocaust, during which six million Jews perished, the U.N. has historically worked to combat antisemitism.
However, the organization has faced accusations of harboring antisemitic attitudes. Notably, U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump’s choice for U.N. ambassador, New York Representative Elise Stefanik, who has been vocal in her support for Israel, described the U.N. as a “den of antisemitism” and has pledged to challenge this perception.
The newly introduced U.N. Action Plan to Enhance Monitoring and Response to Antisemitism aims to boost and unify efforts across the U.N., while also providing recommendations for governments and other entities.
Miguel Moratinos, who leads the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations that spearheaded the initiative, expressed deep concern over the increasing incidents of antisemitism, both online and offline.
He pointed to recent attacks on synagogues and religious sites, particularly emphasizing the aftermath of the devastating Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the most substantial loss of Jewish lives since World War II and triggered ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Moratinos remarked, “Unfortunately, our initiatives, combined with national efforts, have failed to sufficiently tackle the root causes of antisemitism.”
He stressed that new entities contributing to sociocultural changes through technology, science, and the economy should be engaged to combat hate speech while respecting human rights.
The U.N. plan advocates forming a working group that will monitor and assess the effectiveness of various policies aimed at combating antisemitism within the organization.
Additionally, it calls for comprehensive training of U.N. staff on the topics of antisemitism and Holocaust denial, equipping them with the knowledge to counter these issues effectively.
Beyond the U.N. walls, the strategy encourages nations and organizations to promptly denounce antisemitism and to bolster education about the Holocaust and antisemitism.
It promotes the implementation of “zero tolerance policies” for any form of antisemitism.
U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, along with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, reiterated in a joint statement, “The real challenge now lies in translating the plan’s proposals into action.”
They emphasized that the U.N. must show a strong commitment to its human rights agenda by taking decisive measures to ensure meaningful progress on this critical issue.
