OSCE conference on combating antisemitism
Bern, 09.02.2026 — With an appeal to fight antisemitism, hatred and discrimination, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, opened the OSCE conference on ‘Combating anti-Semitism: addressing challenges of intolerance and discrimination’ on 9 February 2026. The two-day conference is taking place in St Gallen and is the first of several international conferences to be held within the framework of Switzerland's 2026 OSCE chairpersonship.
Antisemitic attacks are increasing in intensity and visibility worldwide. International developments such as the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza have exacerbated this trend. Recent incidents show that Switzerland is also affected. The rising number of recorded attacks in public spaces highlights the need for action. The conference in St Gallen, a city with a long tradition of interfaith dialogue, provides a forum for dialogue between OSCE participating States, international organisations, experts and civil society to address these challenges.
In his opening speech, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ignazio Cassis emphasised that the resurgence of antisemitism as well as hatred and discrimination against other groups more than 80 years after the Holocaust is deeply disturbing. “We once said ‘never again’ – yet hatred persists and is once again turning into violence. This is unacceptable – for the victims, for our societies, for our security,” he said.
The aim of the conference in St Gallen is to better understand the spiral that leads to intolerance and discrimination in order to combat the resulting hatred more effectively. The focus is particularly on prevention among young people who are exposed to online violence, as well as in sport, where tensions and conflicts often arise. “Hatred begins with words, with stigmatisation and with indifference,” Mr Cassis said. Therefore, action must be taken at an early stage.
Role of the OSCE
With regard to the role of the OSCE, Mr Cassis reaffirmed the Swiss chairpersonship's ambition to ensure that the fight against antisemitism and intolerance has a permanent place on the political agenda. The conference builds on existing OSCE commitments, in particular the 2014 Declaration on Enhancing Efforts to Combat Anti-Semitism, which was adopted under the previous Swiss chairpersonship. The aim is to strengthen prevention, community protection and societal resilience in a targeted manner.
Prevention and avenues for political action
The first day of the conference featured high-level political exchanges followed by discussions among experts behind closed doors on preventive approaches, current threats based on new data from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), and avenues for political action. The thematic priorities include education and dialogue, the protection of affected communities, and sport as a space for inclusion and awareness-raising.
Bilateral exchange
On the sidelines of the conference, Mr Cassis exchanged views with Liechtenstein's Deputy Prime Minister Sabine Monauni and Austria's State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs Sepp Schellhorn. He also met with the OSCE chairman-in-office's personal representatives for tolerance and non-discrimination topics: Rabbi Andrew Baker, Ambassador Evren Dağdelen Akgün and Wolfgang Palaver.
The conference will end on 10 February 2026. The results of the technical discussions are intended to help translate existing commitments by OSCE participating States into concrete, practical measures.