A total of 58,522 Slovenians were deported to German, Italian, Croatian and Hungarian concentration camps during the occupation of what was then Slovenian territory. When the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, now a memorial museum, was liberated on 27 January 1945, only 21 exhausted women prisoners were still alive, out of more than 2,000 women and men from our territory.

On this day of remembrance, educational and commemorative events are traditionally organised in Slovenia under the umbrella project "Shoah – Let Us Remember", coordinated by the Maribor Synagogue. For several weeks, starting on 18 January, a number of partners, institutions, associations and primary and secondary schools from various locations throughout Slovenia will participate in the project. The "Shoah – Let Us Remember" programme aims to raise awareness that human tragedies should never happen again, and to encourage the prevention of all processes that can lead to tragedies.

Remembering the horrors of the past, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon underscored: “The Genocide Convention provisions are inextricably linked to the responsibility to protect populations against atrocities. This is a political principle that Slovenia helped to adopt in the UN in 2005 and has since actively presented and supported. According to this principle, negative social processes, that could lead to mass atrocities, must be actively prevented. Yet, despite all the efforts, the promise of “never again” has not been kept, which is a serious cause for concern! This is why Slovenia’s position is very clear: only a robust international law system, in particular international human rights law and international humanitarian law, can guarantee peace and security in the world.”

Negative social processes, including hate speech, can lead to mass atrocities and should be actively prevented. Unfortunately, we are witnessing an intensification of conflicts around the world and an increase in the number of victims, especially the most vulnerable. Today, with 55 armed conflicts raging around the world, in which populations, especially children, are at serious risk and are the targets of acts leading to mass atrocities, it is of the utmost importance to raise awareness once again and to remind States of their obligation to protect their populations from these tragic processes. The protection of members of minorities, including Jews in Slovenia, is crucial. The Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia on Combating Antisemitism was recently adopted in line with a similar EU strategy.

The places where victims are remembered are important and should not be forgotten or neglected. A new international document entitled "IHRA Charter for Safeguarding Sites", which underlines the importance of protecting the memorial sites of all victims associated with the crimes of the Nazis, fascists and their collaborators, was presented on 23 January 2024 at a joint EU/IHRA event to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The keynote speaker at the event at the Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture in Ljubljana on 28 January 2024 will be Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon. The central theme of the cultural programme is the title of Tone Pavček’s poem "All Our Children".

A list of all "Shoah – Let Us Remember 2024" events in Slovenia is available on the website of the Maribor Synagogue and has been sent in English translation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Events for the general public can be found at: events in Slovene and events in English.