The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will co-host the inaugural conference for the Inter-Parliamentary Commission for Combating Anti-Semitism in February 2009.

Minister for Europe, Jim Murphy MP, said:

"I am delighted to announce that the Government will co-host the first ever Inter-Parliamentary Commission for Combating Anti-Semitism. It is a chance to discuss our work in fighting anti-Semitism with an international audience. The conference will involve parliamentarians from around the world - parliamentarians have a unique role to play in persuading their Governments to address anti-Semitism.

The British Government remains committed to combating anti-Semitism wherever it occurs. Anti-Semitism disgraces whichever communities are prepared to tolerate it. Ending the scourge of anti-Semitism wherever it is found will always be important for this Government. The conference will be an opportunity not only to share our experience with international partners and learn from others, but also to add political impetus to the ongoing fight against anti-Semitism."

John Mann, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism and co-founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism said:

“It is highly significant that the United Kingdom will play host to such a landmark conference. This is yet further evidence that Government, Parliament and wider civic society in the UK are serious about confronting the threat posed by resurgent anti-Semitism and are willing to explore new and innovative ways to defeat the purveyors of hate.”

The British Government works to combat anti-Semitism and promote Holocaust remembrance in the UK and overseas. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office works closely with the All Party Parliamentary Group to encourage parliamentarians around the world to show leadership in combating anti-Semitism, and welcomes this conference as an opportunity to further this work. The British Government is at the forefront of ensuring anti-Semitism is addressed in international organisations, such as the UN and OSCE. And the UK recently assumed the Presidency of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service, the Holocaust-era archive based at Bad Arolsen in Germany.

Notes for Editors

 

The newly-formed Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism will hold its inaugural conference in London at the Houses of Parliament and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in February 2009. The ICAA is an umbrella framework that assembles parliamentarians from around the world who take an active interest and involvement in confronting anti-Semitism. Its principal purpose is to share knowledge, experiences, best practice, and recommendations among these key parliamentarians and encourage their dissemination.

More information on the Government's work on anti Semitism can be found in its year-on progress report to the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism. To read the report, please click here.

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