PRESS RELEASE
20 December 2007
Learning from history – for democracy and human rights
The Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” made EUR 8.5 million available for 340 international projects in 2007
Berlin. In 2007, the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” approved funding of EUR 8.5 million for international project work. The funds were channelled into 340 projects that undertake critical appraisals of historical events, work for democracy and human rights, and provide humanitarian assistance for survivors of National Socialist dictatorship. Since the Foundation was established in 2000, it has supported 1,345 international projects with funding totalling EUR 36 million.
“The Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” completed the payments programmes to former forced labourers in June 2007. Through its work in recent years, it has acquired in-depth expertise and achieved international standing. The task now is to apply the same purposeful and committed approach to fulfilling our second mandate – to promote international projects over the long term,” said Dr Martin Salm, Chairman of the Foundation, on Thursday.
“In remembering the victims of National Socialism, the Foundation recognises its responsibility towards securing democracy and human rights in the future. Getting the message across to young people that these achievements cannot be taken for granted is a very special challenge,” emphasises Dr Salm. Nationalism, xenophobia and human rights violations are becoming more common, not only in Germany. But if remembrance is seen purely as a duty, people – and especially the young - will not be encouraged to take a critical look at historical injustices. “The Foundation must address the challenges that face us today if we are to honour the victims of past injustices. Empathy with the victims and innovative project ideas are both indispensable for forward-looking and active commitment.”
The Foundation is still committed to investigating the theme of forced labour under National Socialism. In collaboration with the Free University of Berlin and the German Historical Museum, it is setting up an online archive under the title “The voices of former forced labourers” in which victims report on their fate and the devastating consequences that forced labour under National Socialism had on their lives.
The Foundation also supports encounters between victims and young people. Humanitarian projects, most of which are implemented in Central and Eastern Europe and Israel, provide assistance to survivors in their daily lives. With the focus on the younger generation, scholarship programmes for the descendants of the victims and historical and political education projects promote international understanding and cross-border exchanges. To encourage this, the Foundation also supports international schools partnerships through the Europeans for Peace programme. This is the largest funding programme of its kind that forges links between schools in Germany, Central and Eastern Europe and Israel.
Please contact us if you have any questions. On request, the Foundation Press Office will be happy to provide a photograph of Dr Martin Salm and pictures illustrating our international project work. For further information go to www.stiftung-evz.de.
Press release as a PDF file for download.
Contact:
Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future”
Press and Public Relations, Franka Kuehn
Markgrafenstr. 12 – 14, 10969 Berlin
Tel.: 0049-30-259297-76, Mobile: 0174-980 14 24
Email: kuehn@stiftung-evz.de
