Statement of Commitment

  • We recognise that the Holocaust shook the foundations of modern civilisation. Its unprecedented character and horror will always hold universal meaning.
  • We believe the Holocaust must have a permanent place in our nation’s collective memory. We honour the survivors still with us, and reaffirm our shared goals of mutual understanding and justice.
  • We must make sure that future generations understand the causes of the Holocaust and reflect upon its consequences. We vow to remember the victims of Nazi persecution and of all genocide.
  • We value the sacrifices of those who have risked their lives to protect or rescue victims, as a touchstone of the human capacity for good in the face of evil.
  • We recognise that humanity is still scarred by the belief that race, religion, disability or sexuality make some people’s lives worth less than others’. Genocide, antisemitism, racism, xenophobia and discrimination still continue. We have a shared responsibility to fight these evils.
  • We pledge to strengthen our efforts to promote education and research about the Holocaust and other genocide. We will do our utmost to make sure that the lessons of such events are fully learnt.
  • We will continue to encourage Holocaust remembrance by holding an annual UK Holocaust Memorial Day. We condemn the evils of prejudice, discrimination and racism. We value a free, tolerant, and democratic society.

Many organisers have incorporated the Holocaust Memorial Day Statement of Commitment into their remembrance events, reminding everyone attending of the principles behind HMD and why we commemorate the Day.

At previous local events different faith and community representatives read individual clauses of the Statement as a united pledge to remember the Holocaust and to join together to fight all forms of discrimination.

In order to increase understanding of the purpose of HMD and the principles which guide commemorations of HMD amongst diverse communities and new migrants to the UK the Statement of Commitment has been translated into a variety of languages.

You can download the Statement of Commitment in:

Arabic (544Kb PDF)
Bosnian (383Kb PDF)
Chinese (847Kb PDF)
English (353Kb PDF)
Farsi (678Kb PDF)
French (407Kb PDF)
Gaelic (390Kb PDF)
Gujarati (498Kb PDF)
Hebrew (423Kb PDF)
Polish (412Kb PDF)
Urdu (593Kb PDF)
Welsh (407Kb PDF)
Yiddish (460Kb PDF)
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Holocaust Memorial Day Trust
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