BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Press Release) – Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor And Combat Antisemitism, announced on Wednesday, July 17, new Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism. This pledge, signed by representatives of more than 30 countries and international organizations, includes many of the action items for governments listed in American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Global Call to Action Against Antisemitism, unveiled last month at AJC Global Forum 2024.
The Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism and the broad support from envoys and international organizations are a testament to the leadership of Amb. Lipstadt and her work with world partners, notably Katharina Von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. This is a vital step in global efforts to eradicate Jew-hatred from every corner of the world. Among the signatories is Rabbi Andrew Baker, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Antisemitism. Rabbi Baker also serves as AJC’s Director of International Jewish Affairs.
“Jewish communities in some of Europe’s most stable democracies – including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Sweden – continue to report unprecedented levels of antisemitism. This same hate is spreading across American society, said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “We thank Amb. Lipstadt for her leadership and clear vision, recognizing that the response to this crisis must be global and it must cover all parts of society. We are at an inflection point and our actions will have far-reaching impacts on the global Jewish community for decades to come.”
AJC’s Global Call to Action Against Antisemitism, signed by 47 organizations representing 35 countries and three multi-country umbrella organizations, acknowledges that this moment requires an international, whole-of-society approach. This coalition of global Jewish leaders and partners will work to mobilize and empower their governments and communities to take bold action against surging anti-Jewish hate.
These international efforts come at a time of surging antisemitism around the globe. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) reported last week that an astounding 76% of European Jews have avoided wearing anything outside of their homes or synagogues that would enable passers-by to know they are Jewish – up from 30% in 2013 when the first FRA survey was released. Recent surveys from AJC found that 92% of French Jews and 76% of the French general population believe that antisemitism is widespread and 87% of American Jews believe that antisemitism has increased since October 7.
Lipstadt’s announcement, made from Argentina, comes as AJC joins leaders from around the world to mark 30 years since the terrorist attack on the AMIA Jewish Center, which killed 85 people and injured 300 others when a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden truck into the six-story building in Buenos Aires. Before October 7, it was the deadliest antisemitic attack outside Israel since the Holocaust. The 1994 bombing was carried out by Hezbollah terrorists linked to the Iranian regime.
The U.S. State Department published these Global Guidelines on July 17.
Concerned states, special envoys, national coordinators, and representatives tasked by their governments to counter antisemitism, in cooperation with international bodies, offer the following best practices, which have proven to be effective guidelines in formulating public policy.
These legally non-binding guidelines, adopted in Buenos Aires, Argentina, include policies to monitor and combat antisemitism that can be implemented and adapted to a wide variety of national, regional, and cultural contexts.
We urge all states and international bodies, as well as civil society, to embrace and use these practices, many of which already form the basis of regional and country-based action plans. These guidelines can be applied everywhere, not only in societies with Jewish communities.
SPEAK OUT – Governments and political leaders should denounce antisemitism swiftly, clearly, and unequivocally, whenever and wherever it occurs. This applies to the domestic and international arenas, including regional and international organizations.
AVOID POLITICIZATION – Antisemitism can appear across the political spectrum and should be rejected without political bias and regardless of its origin.
ADOPT and IMPLEMENT – Governments and international bodies should adopt and implement strategies and action plans that engage all relevant ministries and public authorities at all levels of governance. This should be done in consultation with Jewish communities, civil society, field researchers, and other relevant stakeholders. Such policies should be assessed periodically and updated as needed.
APPOINT and EMPOWER – Governments and international bodies should consider appointing national coordinators, special envoys, or designated officials. Such officials can proactively address antisemitism as a cross-cutting public policy challenge and should be provided with the necessary authority, empowerment, and resources to be effective.
UNDERSTAND and DEFINE – In order to combat antisemitism, governments need tools to understand its various manifestations. The legally non-binding “International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism” is an important internationally recognized instrument used by over 40 U.N. member states since its adoption in 2016. In addition, hundreds of sub-national public authorities, universities, sports bodies, NGOs, and corporations rely on it.
PROTECT – There are few roles more central for governments than the security and welfare of their populations. Jewish communities are targets of physical threats and attacks from both foreign and domestic sources. Governments, working together with Jewish communities, should provide appropriate protection and security enhancements that safeguard and sustain Jewish communal life. Religious freedom and protection also encompass safeguarding unhindered religious practice.
COLLECT – Policies should be in place to support the uniform collection of data documenting incidents of antisemitism as well as the perceptions of antisemitism among Jewish communities and the broader public. Such information, drawn from community-based sources, when possible, allows for evidence-based understanding of trends and sources.
ENFORCE – Enforcement of hate crime and anti-discrimination laws is critical and should take place within legal frameworks that protect civil liberties and human rights, such as freedom of expression. Enforcement conveys the broader message that antisemitism is unacceptable, has consequences, and cannot be tolerated.
EDUCATE – Education is vital for identifying and countering antisemitism, including Holocaust remembrance and countering Holocaust denial and distortion, an especially pernicious form of antisemitism. It has also proven effective in sensitizing law enforcement. Education about Jewish culture and contributions to society demystifies Jews and Judaism. Many countries and intergovernmental organizations have linked their efforts against antisemitism to broadening appreciation of Jewish heritage and fostering Jewish life.
CULTIVATE A WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY COMMITMENT – Countering antisemitism requires a whole-of-society commitment that includes the active participation of civil society. Collaboration; bridge-building; nurturing trust among faith, civic, and cultural leaders; and fostering mutual understanding are essential, particularly since antisemitism is not solely a threat to Jews. It can endanger members of other minority groups, democratic values, and national security and stability.
ENGAGE SOCIAL MEDIA – Antisemitism, like other forms of group hatred and disinformation, is widespread and mutating online. It has real world consequences and can lead to radicalization to violence. Stakeholders should oppose antisemitism online, stay educated on evolving trends, increase transparency about antisemitic content, assess impacts on vulnerable communities, and find solutions, within the context of existing legal frameworks.
STRENGTHEN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION – Coalition-building and international cooperation are paramount to effectively monitor and counter antisemitism. In an interconnected world where hate respects no borders, transnational cooperation can identify threats, raise awareness, broaden the use of best practices, and more effectively and proactively coordinate responses.
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ENDORSEMENTS
as of 17 July 2024
ARGENTINA
Ambassador Maria Fabiana Loguzzo
Special Representative for the fight against Antisemitism and Head of Delegation to IHRA
AUSTRALIA
Dr Simon Twisk
Ambassador to Argentina
AUSTRIA
Antonio Martino
Director of the Department for Fostering Austrian-Jewish Cultural Heritage and Combatting Antisemitism
BELGIUM
Isabelle Leclercq
Chairperson of the Belgian interfederal mechanism of coordination for combatting antisemitism
BULGARIA
Nevyana Miteva
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
CANADA
Deborah Lyons
Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism
COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Alexandre Guessel
Special Representative of the Secretary General on Antisemitic, Anti-Muslim and other forms of religious intolerance and hate crimes
CROATIA
Sara Lustig
Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Croatia for Holocaust Issues and Combating Antisemitism
CYPRUS
Ambassador Evangelos Savva
Ambassador to the United States
CZECHIA
Ambassador at Large Robert Řehák
Ambassador Robert Rehak, Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Interfaith Dialogue and Freedom of Religion
ECUADOR
President Daniel Noboa
President of Ecuador
ESTONIA
Ringo Ringvee
National coordinator of measures against anti-Semitism
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Dr.h.c. Katharina von Schnurbein
Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life
FINLAND
Tiina Jortikka-Laitinen
Ambassador for Human Rights
FRANCE
Ambassador Isabelle Rome
Ambassador-at Large for Human Rights and the International Dimension of the Holocaust
Mathias Dreyfuss
Deputy head of DILCRAH, the Interministerial Delegation for the fight against racism, antisemitism and anti-LGBT hate
GERMANY
Dr. Felix Klein
Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Antisemitism
Ambassador Dr. Robert Klinke
Special Representative for Relations with Jewish Organisations, Issues relating to Antisemitism, International Sinti and Roma Affairs, Holocaust Remembrance
GREECE
Ambassador Chryssoula Aliferi
Special Envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Combatting Anti-Semitism and for the Protection of Holocaust Remembrance
ISRAEL
Michal Cotler-Wunsh
Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism
ITALY
Pasquale Angelosanto
Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism
LITHUANIA
Ambassador Arvydas Daunoravičius
Ambassador-at-large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania
LUXEMBOURG
Michel Heintz
Interministerial delegate responsible for coordinating policies to combat racism, anti-Semitism and anti-LGBTIQ+ hatred
NETHERLANDS
Eddo Verdoner
National Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism
NORWAY
Øystein Lyngroth
Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, MFA Department of Human Rights, Democracy and Gender Equality
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
Fernando K. Lottenberg
Commissioner to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE
Rabbi Andrew Baker
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism
PARAGUAY
Ambassador Victor Verdún
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs
POLAND
Jan Łazicki
Plenipotentiary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for contacts with the Jewish Diaspora, and Head of Delegation to IHRA
PORTUGAL
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
ROMANIA
Ambassador Bogdan Mazuru
Special Representative of the Government of Romania for the remembrance policies and for the fight against antisemitism and xenophobia
Dragoș Hotea
Coordinator of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the implementation of the 2024-2027 National Strategy for Preventing and Combating Anti-Semitism, Xenophobia, Radicalization and Hate Speech
SERBIA
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
SLOVAKIA
Ambassador Peter Hulenyi
Director General of the MFA Directorate-General for International Organisations and Human Rights
Martin Kačo
Directorate-General for Political Affairs
SLOVENIA
Dr. Marko Rakovec
Director General, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Head of the Slovenian Delegation to IHRA
SPAIN
Jaime Moreno
Coordinator of the Spanish National Plan against Antisemitism and Head of Delegation to IHRA
SWEDEN
Ambassador Torsten Ericsson
Ambassador of Sweden to Argentina
UNITED KINGDOM
Lord John Mann of Holbeck
UK Government’s independent advisor on antisemitism
Lord Eric Pickles
UK Government Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues
UNITED STATES
Ambassador Deborah E. Lipstadt, Ph.D.
Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
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Preceding provided by the American Jewish Committee and the U.S. State Department