PRESS RELEASE : UK endorses new guidelines for countering antisemitism [July 2024]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 July 2024.
Lord Pickles endorsed the guidelines at a meeting of the World Jewish Congress Special Envoys and Coordinators Combating Antisemitism (SECCA) Forum in Buenos Aires.
On 17 July at the Argentina Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Buenos Aires, 36 countries endorsed new Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism, including the UK.
The UK was one of several countries who provided examples of best practice which the US reflected in the guidelines.
Lord Pickles, the United Kingdom Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues, said:
Congratulations to Argentina and the US. I am delighted that the global guidelines were one of the first documents the UK’s new government endorsed.
We need to learn from the IHRA non-legally binding definition that it is easy to adopt initiatives, but it is much harder to implement them. We must recognise the importance and protection of Jewish life. If we cannot protect our citizens, the state fails.
This is not just a responsibility for governments. Civil society has an important role to play, and these guidelines will be crucial in addressing the ongoing scourge of antisemitism.
