27 January - Remembering the victims of genocide

On 27 January 1945, Auschwitz-Birkenau - the most infamous Nazi concentration camp - was liberated. Of the estimated six million Jews who were killed during the Holocaust, about one million were murdered there, along with hundreds of thousands of others from across Europe.

The UN has designated 27 January as an International Day of Commemoration to honour the victims of the Holocaust. The Day is also used to remember the tragic loss of life in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.

Introducing the theme of this year's commemoration - the legacy of survival - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said 'countless men, women and children suffered the horrors of the Nazi death camps, yet somehow survived. All of them carry a crucial message for all of us. A message about the triumph of the human spirit... We must preserve their stories - through memorials, through education, most of all through robust efforts to prevent genocide'.

To support memorial events and teaching about the Holocaust, the UN has developed a series of materials, including briefings, presentations and a short film, which are all available for free from www.un.org/holocaustremembrance

You can also visit the UK-based Holocaust Memorial Day Trust for more ideas: www.hmd.org.uk