Australia’s leading human rights officials have marked Holocaust Remembrance Day as antisemitism and xenophobia is on the rise across the world.

The President of the Australian Human Rights Commission Hugh de Kretser, Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman and Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay have honoured the memory of the six million Jewish men, women, and children, as well as millions of others, who were systematically murdered during the Holocaust.

Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the day Soviet troops liberated the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation.

“Australia is home to one of the largest populations of Holocaust survivors and their descendants outside of Israel. The survivors and their families have profoundly enriched our society. They continue to speak up about the lessons of the past so that the horrors are not repeated,” President de Kretser said.

“We pay tribute to their resistance and strength and we acknowledge the enduring legacy of intergenerational trauma,” he said.

‘International Holocaust Remembrance Day is being marked this year at a time when Australia is experiencing an overwhelming increase in antisemitism.

“Antisemitism is an insidious form of racism. Rising antisemitic incidents in Australia are abhorrent and serve as a call to action for people across the country to stand together in unity for an anti-racist Australia. Everyone should feel free to live their true selves and practice their faith without fear of persecution, intimidation, violence or discrimination,” Commissioner Sivaraman said.

“The Jewish community should not be left to face the rising tide of antisemitism alone. While anti-Semitism directly targets Jewish people, its impacts are much broader. It ultimately damages all of us by eroding our social fabric and undermining the peaceful diversity that is at the heart of modern Australia,” Commissioner Finlay said.

The Commission encouraged all Australians to reflect on the importance of unity, respect and the shared responsibility to combat hate. By remembering the past, we strengthen our resolve to build a future free from discrimination and violence.

This year there are 123 million people displaced across the globe by a record number of conflicts.

A recent report from the Institute for Economics and Peace says conflicts are changing in nature, becoming more widespread and more international.

The Global Peace Index report says the increasing complexity of conflicts is reducing the likelihood of achieving lasting solutions.

“Ukraine and Gaza are examples of ongoing historical grievances or ‘forever wars’ without clear resolutions. The number of conflicts resulting in a decisive victory for either side has fallen from 49 per cent in the 1970s, to less than 9 per cent in the 2010s,” the report said.