UN leads Kenya in marking Holocaust Day

The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday led Kenyans in commemorating the victims of the holocaust of the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camps that occurred 70 years ago.

"The mass killing was motivated by perverse ideology that sought to eliminate anybody they considered inferior," the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner said in Nairobi.

He said the world is now united to ensure that this kind of genocide never happens again.

"Unfortunately, we are being tested again as minorities everywhere often face discrimination," he said, noting that sectarian tensions and other forms of intolerance are on the rise.

Steiner said marginalized communities around the world continue to bury their dead while living in fear of further violence.

"The violence and bias we see every day are stark reminders of the distance still to travel in upholding human rights, preventing genocide and defending our common humanity," said the UN official, urging the international community to redouble efforts to eradicate the deep roots of hatred and intolerance.

Israel Ambassador to Kenya Shalom Cohen said it is ten years, since the UN General Assembly began to mark to the holocaust. He urged people of all religions to embrace tolerance in order to promote peace.

German Ambassador to Kenya Andreas Peschke said for the German people, the holocaust was the lowest moment of its nation's history.

"It shaped our government's commitment to fight xenophobia and extremism," he said. Endit