“We share a commitment to throw light on the still obscured shadows of the Holocaust.”
-- Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust
Archbishop Gallagher to open IHRA conference
09.02.2017
BERLIN, February 10, 2017 - On 16 February Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher will address participants on the opening evening of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) conference in cooperation with the Holy See on refugee policies from 1933 to the present day, to be held in Rome.
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher is the current Secretary for Relations with States within the Holy See's Secretariat of State, a position to which he was appointed on 8 November 2014. He held posts in Tanzania, Uruguay, the Philippines, the Vatican Secretariat of State and at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. In 2012, he was appointed as the Papal Nuncio to Australia, a post he held until Pope Francis appointed him Secretary for Relations with States.
The conference is aimed at public policy-makers from Europe, North America and the Middle East, media representatives and representatives of NGOs and civil society organizations. At a time when the current situation of refugees in Europe and the Middle East continues to dominate the news and the political arena, this conference brings together experts in Holocaust history and contemporary policy-makers to reflect on the past with a view to concretely informing positive, ethically responsible, and rational policy-making today. The outcome of the conference will be a concrete set of recommendations for international policy-makers.
The draft programme and further information on speakers is available on the website of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
The conference "Refugee Policies from 1933 until Today: Challenges and Responsibilities" is organized by Advisor to the IHRA, Professor Steven Katz, Co-Head of the Austrian Delegation to the IHRA, Ambassador Michael Baier, Dr Robert Williams, Deputy Director of International Affairs at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (US Delegation to the IHRA) and Dr Veerle Vanden Daelen, adjunct general director and curator of Kazerne Dossin (Belgian Delegation to the IHRA). The conference hashtag will be #seekingprotection.
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. The IHRA has 31 Member Countries, eleven Observer Countries, and seven international partner organisations.
All journalists and media organizations wishing to apply for accreditation may request TEMPORARY accreditation through the online form available on the Accreditation Section of Holy See Press Office website.
Journalists and media organizations regularly accredited at the Holy See Press Office may send their request through the usual channels.
All requests must be sent no less than 48 hours before the event.
Contact: Laura Robertson / IHRA Media Contact:
lrobertson[at] holocaustremembrance [dott] com
Tel +49 (0)30 2639 666 - 11
Image: Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher at a visit to Austria in September 2015. By Österreichisches Außenministerium [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons