Lorenzo Ravano, Monaco’s Ambassador to Germany and its representative to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, proudly joined figureheads from more than 40 countries worldwide at the organisation’s recent meeting in Glasgow. On the agenda were talks on how to tackle the resurgence of anti-Semitism on a domestic and international level, as well as discussions on the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of 35 Members Countries and eight Observer Countries. Monaco falls in the latter group, but made its presence felt at the recent gathering in Glasgow, which was chaired by Lord Eric Pickles, a member of the UK’s House of Lords and its Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues.
The goal of the meeting was to address issues related to the global rise in anti-Semitism in the wake of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, a complex military conflict that has claimed thousands of lives on both sides.
Among the topics covered was how generative artificial intelligence is being used as a weapon for spreading anti-Semitic narratives and disinformation, as well as methods for strengthening procedures to safeguard Jewish sites. The meeting also saw the introduction of a new forum dedicated to disseminating archival data among the IHRA’s members.
MONACO’S INVOLVEMENT
Lorenzo Ravano, Ambassador of Monaco to Germany and Representative of the Principality to the IHRA, attended the event, which was held between 24th and 27th June, and spoke about Monaco’s efforts to combat anti-Semitism as part of its “duty of memory”.
He cited the 2006 creation of the Commission for Assistance to Victims of Spoliations, the public publication of a list of Jewish people arrested and deported from Monaco during World War II in 2015, and the opening of the Principality’s World War II archives for research in 2020.
Ravano also highlighted Monaco’s educational awareness campaigns in schools. At an appropriate age, students in the Principality are given a virtual tour of the Auschwitz concentration camp in order to educate them on the atrocities of those awful times.
He then confirmed that Monaco will be present at the 80th anniversary commemorations of the liberation of Auschwitz, an event that will take place in January 2025, before noting Prince Albert II of Monaco’s conscious efforts to tackle racism and discrimination, reminding those present that the Prince received the Medal of Honour from the International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA) in April this year in recognition of his continued commitment in this area.
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Photo credit: Eloise Bishop