International Day for Tolerance

16. 11. 2025

Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

To mark the International Day for Tolerance, Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, said: "We are concerned by the rising incidence of hate speech, including antisemitic and anti-Roma rhetoric. We recognise the need to effectively address all forms of intolerance and hate speech on an equal basis."

Minister Fajon: "We are committed to building a society free from hate speech and acts of hostility against any individual or community. Slovenia's foreign policy places significant emphasis on this issue in international forums, particularly within the UN Human Rights Council. Slovenia will take up its seat on the Council again on 1 January 2026 for a three-year term. Promoting understanding, respect for diversity, tolerance and championing dialogue will remain at the heart of Slovenian diplomacy."

Minister Fajon underlined that combating hate speech and hate crimes begins with education and training from an early age and continues throughout life. This approach fosters awareness of the need to counter all forms of hatred and discrimination, representing an essential step towards a more tolerant and respectful society. "Slovenia's education project Our Rights, grounded in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, demonstrates that such education can be one of the most effective tools for preventing intolerance and discrimination. Over the past twenty years, the project has empowered around half a million children worldwide."

In December 2023, the Slovenian Government adopted the first national Strategy on Combating Antisemitism. In June 2025, the Ministry appointed a Special Envoy for Holocaust Remembrance and Genocide Prevention. On 3 November, Minister Fajon officially opened the Festival House of Tolerance – House of Others at the Mini Teater in Ljubljana. In her speech, she drew attention to the rise of intolerance and hate speech, and reaffirmed that there can be no place for antisemitism or any other form of hostility, whether in Slovenia or across Europe. She emphasised the need to combat hatred in all its forms, both online and offline.

Slovenia condemns all forms and manifestations of antisemitism, anti-Romani sentiment, Islamophobia, extremism, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, neo-Nazism, neo-fascism, restrictions on freedom of religion or belief and all other expressions of intolerance. As a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) since 2011, Slovenia continues to contribute actively to global efforts to counter all forms of intolerance.

The Ministry consistently condemns all forms and manifestations of hate speech. This was evident in its response on 16 November 2023, the International Day for Tolerance, when it strongly condemned the antisemitic hate speech that appeared on the door of the Mini Teater. Minister Fajon also delivered a personal message on national television, stating that "hate speech is extremely harmful to human dignity, and it is our duty to combat it whenever it occurs".

In 1996, the UN General Assembly declared 16 November the International Day for Tolerance through resolution 51/95. This followed the adoption of the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance by UNESCO Member States on 16 November 1995, which defines tolerance as "respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human".