''Teaching Remembrance: Cultural Heritage - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'' - 3rd Seminar of European Ministers of Education. Prague and Terezin. 24 and 25 April 2006

Conclusions of the Chair

Participants in the third ministerial seminar on "Teaching remembrance: cultural heritage - yesterday, today and tomorrow", which was held in Prague and Terezin on 24 and 25 April 2006, drew the following conclusions:

- Their satisfaction at the growing number of events taking place in the member states with the aim of saving from oblivion and commemorating the darkest period in 20th century history - the extermination of the Jews, the Gypsies and other victims of the Nazi regime. The intensification and constant repetition of these events gives greater meaning and value to this effort;

- Their commitment to pursue and step up teaching of remembrance, which is not merely backward-looking but seeks to foster a moral conscience and sense of European citizenship which will forever guard against a resumption of such behaviour in any form whatsoever;

- The importance they wish to attach to the specificity of the "Day of Holocaust Remembrance and Prevention of Crimes against Humanity" as established at the Council of Europe's initiative, which has both ethical and educational aims and is primarily concerned with respect for human beings and their dignity;

- The need for flexibility in educational projects which are, above all, pragmatic and closely linked to the history of the children and adolescents targeted, taking advantage of all the historical and heritage resources available in the project environment. A teaching approach of this kind must simultaneously call on and refer to fundamental values, taking as its basis both emotion and reason;

- The importance they wish to attach to raising awareness of the tragedy of the Holocaust which offers the prospect of enhancing the ability to fully accept and actively defend fundamental values that must serve to consolidate intercultural dialogue, as recommended by the Council of Europe.