Today marks the launch of a new two-year project to address antisemitism in Europe through education. The project will be financed by the Erasmus+ programme and implemented by UNESCO in partnership with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

Following the project's launch, UNESCO and its partners will work through tailored activities with national authorities of EU Member States to assist them as they develop the educational dimension of their National Plans on Combating Antisemitism. At the moment of the launch, 11 countries have officially confirmed their participation. They are Austria, Belgium (Wallonie-Bruxelles), Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany (Baden-Württemberg and Schleswig-Holstein), Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Spain.

The project is expected to deliver a series of outputs, including national in-person training events for teacher trainers; policy-makers and civil society organisations; and thematic online webinars for teacher trainers and educators from all EU Member States. The aim is to support teachers and educators to counter conspiracy theories and antisemitism in the classroom. The project will also help to assess national curricula and the quality of school textbooks with regard to antisemitism in Europe, and the current preparedness of teachers before producing recommendations for policy-makers at national and regional level.

Education has an important role to play in raising young people's awareness in relation to prejudices, extremist narratives, conspiracy thinking, and ideologies that drive discrimination and hatred. Erasmus+ features the promotion of inclusion and diversity among its overarching priorities, thereby contributing to social cohesion and to strengthening European identity and fostering European Union values. This project also supports the educational dimension of the EU Strategy for Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life.