25 Years of Durban: Antisemitism, Anti-Racism, and the Crisis of Multilateralism
A Retrospective Seminar in Geneva
In September 2001, the Durban Conference became a milestone event in the resurgence of global antisemitism. Conceived under the banner of anti-racism, the conference—including both its governmental and NGO dimensions—became associated with the legitimization and amplification of antisemitic discourse in international spaces.
In continuity with November 2025 seminar co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of the United States and Israel to mark the 50th anniversary of the infamous UNGA Resolution 3379, this seminar moved the reflection from 1975 to 2001 examining how the Durban process again revealed the vulnerability of anti-racist frameworks to political distortion, the delegitimization of Israel, and the erosion of trust in multilateral institutions.
Twenty-five years later, this retrospective offers an opportunity to examine Durban as a turning point: what happened, how it unfolded, and how it contributed to a new era of global antisemitism. Held in Geneva, the seminar served as a preparatory moment ahead of the United Nations High-Level Week in New York, helping to frame the debate and identify necessary reforms to strengthen the UN’s ability to confront antisemitism, uphold the integrity of anti-racist principles, and restore trust in multilateral institutions.
The event was opened with remarks by Ambassador Daniel Meron, Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN in Geneva, Jim Merz, Chargé d’Affaires for the U.S. Mission to the UN in Geneva, and Gregory Lafitte, Founding Director of the Forum for Cultural Diplomacy.
The guest speakers were: Ambassador François Zimeray, Former French Ambassador for Human Rights, Joëlle Fiss, Member of the Grand Conseil of Geneva, and Andrew Srulevitch, Director of Europe, ADL.
