B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith praises the agreement reached by the State of Israel and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on March 7 to create a center to encourage and promote Holocaust education and battle its denial worldwide.

This agreement, signed by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and Israeli Ambassador to UNESCO Nimrod Barkan, will provide the important framework needed for UNESCO to implement the teaching of Holocaust awareness and remembrance while strengthening the relationship between Israel and UNESCO through a cooperative partnership.

Increased attention to Holocaust education is essential to combating anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiments, as well as the Holocaust denial and glorification recently experiencing an alarming resurgence worldwide.

A B’nai B’rith delegation to UNESCO, led by President Dennis W. Glick and Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin, met with Bokova and also met with Barkan and with United States Ambassador to UNESCO David Killion on March 4 in Paris to discuss the interests of the Jewish community, including the importance of improving tolerance and understanding through educational programs. B’nai B’rith is an accredited non-governmental organization at UNESCO.