The European Jewish Congress participated in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Conference on “Combating Antisemitism: Addressing Challenges of Intolerance and Discrimination” in St Gallen, held under the framework of the Swiss Confederation’s 2026 OSCE Chairmanship.
EJC Policy Officer Dylan Bokler attended the conference, which provided a platform for analysing the dramatic rise of antisemitism worldwide and emphasised the need to strengthen cooperation between OSCE participating States and civil society actors.
The conference was the first of four international conferences that Switzerland will host in its role as 2026 OSCE Chair. Over the course of two days, it took stock of current trends related to antisemitism and other forms of intolerance, reinforced cooperation between governments, international organisations, and civil society, and explored the spiral that leads to intolerance and discrimination in order to combat the resulting hatred more effectively. The focus was particularly on prevention among young people exposed to online violence, as well as in sport, where tensions and conflicts often arise.
The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Swiss Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, opened the conference and reaffirmed the Swiss chairpersonship’s ambition to ensure that the fight against antisemitism and intolerance has a permanent place on the political agenda. He noted that the resurgence of antisemitism, as well as hatred and discrimination against other groups more than 80 years after the Holocaust, is deeply disturbing.
Participants included OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu; Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Maria-Theresia Telalian; Liechtenstein Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabine Monauni; Austrian State Secretary for European and International Affairs Sepp Schellhorn; UK Government Advisor on Antisemitism Lord Mann; US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Yehuda Kaploun; European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism Katharina von Schnurbein; and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Antisemitism Andrew Baker, among others.
The conference also included cultural and educational activities, such as a visit to the Jewish Museum in Hohenems, Vorarlberg, Austria; the Rhine crossing in Diepoldsau, Canton St Gallen; and a guided tour of the Stiftsbibliothek (Abbey Library).
The conference aimed not only to reaffirm existing commitments, but also to translate them into coordinated political action and concrete, practical measures. Participants stressed that effectively combating hatred and intolerance requires sustained political will, close cooperation, and a willingness to openly address difficult realities.
