More than 40 countries boycotted today’s UN event marking the 25th anniversary of the Durban Conference, setting a new record and surpassing the previous high of 38 countries, which boycotted the event in 2021.
The record-breaking boycott follows a diplomatic campaign led by Israel’s MFA, which engaged with countries around the world to encourage them to refuse to participate.
At the same time, Israel’s Mission to the UN, led by Ambassador Danny Danon, worked with the Office of the President of the General Assembly to significantly scale back the event. The organizers restricted the program to official working hours, approved no additional panels, capped the interactive discussion at one hour.
The original Durban Conference, held in South Africa in 2001, was convened with the stated goal of combating racism. Instead, it became a platform for antisemitism and attacks against Israel. Israel and the United States withdrew from the conference, and additional countries joined the boycott of subsequent Durban-related events in the years that followed.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon: “Today, a record number of countries refused to take part in the disgrace of Durban. The world is sending the UN a clear message: Antisemitism should not be celebrated, and hatred of Israel should not be legitimized under the guise of fighting racism. Twenty five years later, the UN must bury Durban’s toxic legacy instead of continuing to revive it. The longer the UN continues this spectacle, the more countries will simply choose not to show up."