IHRA Chair's Statement

The IHRA Chair, Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu, has issued a statement regarding the decision of the UK Government to formally adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.

"As Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) I welcome the decision of the UK Government to formally adopt the working definition of antisemitism, adopted by the IHRA’s 31 Member Countries on 26 May 2016 during our plenary session in Bucharest, Romania.

Working on the principle of consensus, the IHRA adopted the non-legally binding working definition on antisemitism as a sign of the great political commitment among IHRA Member Countries to combat antisemitism. With this working definition, the organization aimed to set an example of responsible conduct for other international fora and for national governments, hoping to inspire them to adopt a legally-binding working definition themselves.

It is important to understand that the momentum for adopting this working definition came from the experts within the IHRA. Recognizing that we must clearly define an issue before we can best combat it, IHRA experts made an almost unanimous direct recommendation for adoption to the IHRA’ s political level. The unique structure within the IHRA promotes expert-informed policy making.

The IHRA considers it the obligation of all governments to actively combat antisemitism in all its forms. IHRA’s founding document, the Stockholm Declaration of the year 2000, clearly states “With humanity still scarred by genocide, ethnic cleansing, racism, antisemitism and xenophobia, the international community shares a solemn responsibility to fight those evils. Together we must uphold the terrible truth of the Holocaust against those who deny it.”

The IHRA’s unique network of political representatives and experts in the field of Holocaust education, research and remembrance from 31 Member Countries will continue to call attention to both remembrance of the past, and our duty to the present, encouraging the international community to create the necessary tools to identify the roots of hate, discrimination and exclusion that led to the tragedy of the Holocaust and to work to eradicate them."

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance unites governments and experts to shape and advance Holocaust education, remembrance and research world-wide, to speak out on Holocaust related issues including antisemitism, and to uphold the commitments of the 2000 Stockholm Declaration.

For more information, please consult the IHRA fact sheet on the working definition of antisemitism

Download this statement as a pdf file.