Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

Over the past few years, some parts of the OSCE region have seen a resurgence of anti-Semitism. In response, the OSCE participating States committed themselves to combat anti-Semitism through various measures, including Holocaust remembrance and educational programmes on the Holocaust.

ODIHR is tasked to collect and disseminate information on best practices for preventing and responding to anti-Semitism and to assist participating States in their efforts to prevent and respond to anti-Semitism.

ODIHR produced a study - Education on the Holocaust and on Anti-Semitism: An Overview and Analysis of Educational Approaches - which identifies good practices followed by OSCE states and civil society, provides recommendations, and identifies new challenges that need to be addressed in education on the Holocaust and on anti-Semitism.

ODIHR has developed (in co-operation with the Yad Vashem International School for Holocaust Studies in Israel) practical guidelines - Preparing Holocaust Memorial Days: Suggestions for Educators - that highlight best practice modules. The guidelines have been developed for educators teaching high school students in the OSCE participating States and are currently available in 13 languages.

In 2008, ODIHR published Holocaust Memorial Days in the OSCE Region - An overview of good governmental practices, which looks at the role that governments, parliamentarians and other public officials can play in such commemorations.