“Passports for Life” exhibition

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,

The Director very much regrets that he cannot be here today and sends his best regards. He has asked me to deliver the following remarks on his behalf:

“A very warm welcome to you all for this special exhibition, “Passports for Life”. Let me begin my expressing my appreciation to the Permanent Mission of Poland, the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the International Council of Jewish Women for kindly bringing this event to the Palais des Nations. Thank you for your dedication to the commemoration of the Holocaust.

74 years after the liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau, the sheer scale of the Holocaust continues to be overwhelming. That so many people died, that so much evil flourished, for so long. The world saw the most extraordinary inhumanity – and indifference.

And yet, amongst the horror of that time, stories emerged of people who stood up to hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice, and fought back against the genocide however they could.

This exhibition highlights and celebrates the rescue operations conducted during World War Two from Bern by then Polish Ambassador Aleksander Lados, his colleagues and cooperating Jewish organizations. During these operations, Latin American passports were issued, saving the lives of hundreds of Jewish people in Nazi-occupied Europe. The fact that these passports were illegally obtained reminds us, too, that sometimes the moral imperative supersedes discriminatory laws.

The bravery and commitment of Ambassador Lados and his partners is inspiring. While we vow to never again repeat the scar upon humanity that was the Holocaust, at the same time we can learn from the lights that shone in that darkness.

I ask you to keep this in mind as you explore the exhibition today. Over 70 years on, let us uphold this legacy of compassion and solidarity by continuing to find ways to act against discrimination and defend human rights in our everyday lives. Remember that good people can make a difference.

Thank you.”

These were the words of the Director-General. Thank you.