Speech by Marta Cienkowska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, delivered at the opening of "Between Life and Death. Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust" — a travelling exhibition presented for the first time in North America at the United Nations Headquarters in New York (15 January – 20 February 2026).
The opening ceremony brought together distinguished speakers, including Melissa Fleming (UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications), Chaloka Beyani (UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide), H.E. Krzysztof Maria Szczerski (Permanent Representative of Poland to the UN), Holocaust survivor Elżbieta Ficowska, and other representatives of partner institutions.
The exhibition was displayed as part of The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme's activities marking the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
The exhibition was prepared in cooperation with Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN (Museum of the History of Polish Jews) and Silent Heroes Memorial Center, pays tribute to those who risked their lives to help persecuted Jews during World War II, presenting stories from over thirteen European countries and highlighting the experiences of both rescuers and survivors.
More information about the exhibition: enrs.eu/between-life-and-death