Disappointment as UN acknowledges but fails to adopt International Definition of Antisemitism

A speech by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has disappointed mainstream Jewish groups for merely “acknowledging” the International Definition of Antisemitism but failing to adopt it.

However, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, has welcomed the Secretary-General’s commitment to combatting antisemitism.

Speaking at a UN event marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Mr Guterres said that “a shared understanding” of antisemitism could serve the work of the UN, as well as “all global efforts to uphold human rights.”

Mr Guterres then read aloud the Definition, but without mentioning all of the examples, which are integral to the Definition and its application. The Secretary-General also acknowledged “the efforts of countries that have agreed on the common definition of antisemitism.”

Mr Erdan had raised expectations over the speech when he told a news outlet that Mr Guterres would use his remarks to announce the UN’s adoption of the Definition along with its application at all UN bodies, hence there was some disappointment that the Secretary-General fell short of these expectations. The UN has thus not gone as far in signalling its readiness to combat antisemitism as numerous countries which have adopted the Definition.

Nevertheless, Mr Erdan interpreted the speech as effectively “adopting” the Definition and “applying it in the UN bodies,” adding that he had raised the issue in several meetings over the past year with Mr Guterres, who had now “effectively recognised” the Definition. In a statement, the Israeli Mission to the UN said that the speech meant that the Definition could be used to “fight antisemitism within various UN bodies.”

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