Colombia Joins the More Than Three Dozen Countries Worldwide That Have Adopted IHRA Antisemitism Definition

Colombia has become the latest country to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, in a move announced by President Iván Duque last week.

“We reaffirm the values of rejecting any form of discrimination,” President Duque tweeted on Thursday.

Colombia suscribe la Declaración promovida por la @OEA_oficial para rechazar prácticas de antisemitismo y discriminación al pueblo judío. Con este paso, que damos junto al Secretario General, @Almagro_OEA2015, reafirmamos los valores de repudio a cualquier forma de discriminación pic.twitter.com/0mILTdNaew

— Iván Duque 🇨🇴 (@IvanDuque) June 2, 2022

Thursday’s signing ceremony was attended by Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General Luis Almagro, who has urged all OAS member states to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism and fight Jew-hatred in all its contemporary manifestations.

Agradezco al Presidente de #Colombia @IvanDuque por el compromiso en combatir el antisemitismo de acuerdo a la definición de @TheIHRA.

El antisemitismo representa una amenaza a los principios humanistas de inclusión que defiende y promueve la @OEA_oficial https://t.co/KZK3F23rZr

— Luis Almagro (@Almagro_OEA2015) June 2, 2022

Nearly 1,000 entities — including more than three dozen countries — worldwide have adopted the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism since 2016, according to a study published by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University earlier this year.

The non-legally binding definition includes 11 explanatory examples detailing specific discriminatory behaviors targeting Jews and the State of Israel.