January 27th simultaneously marks the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust and the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp.

Acknowledging the date, the Government stresses the need to preserve the memory and significance of the Holocaust, for both history and generations to come. The acts perpetrated in the Nazi extermination camps violated every basic notion of humanity. The Holocaust - the deliberate extermination of six million Jews - should forever evoke the dangers of hatred, intolerance, prejudice, discrimination and racism in order to avoid tragedies of this kind, anywhere and at any scale.

The Portuguese government, reflecting the deeply-rooted sentiment of every Portuguese, welcome the Parliament initiatives and fully subscribe the UN and worldwide ceremonies taking place in remembrance of this date. As a Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research observer since June 2009, the Government, with the support of the civil society, will highlight this event through several awareness campaigns in schools throughout the country in fulfilment of the collective duty of underlining the importance of human rights, tolerance and mutual respect between individuals and peoples.