Paraguay to become the eighth Latin American country to join International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
Argentina is the lone Latin American country with full-member status in IHRA. Uruguay is an observer nation
Paraguay announced on Thursday that it plans to become a full member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the body that produces the widely used working definition of Jew-hatred.
The South American country made the announcement at the Argentine embassy in Washington, with Argentine President Javier Milei in attendance. The foreign ministers of Argentina and Paraguay were also there, along with Argentina’s ambassador to the United States and Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the US State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism.
IHRA, an intergovernmental organization that addresses “contemporary challenges related to the Holocaust and genocide of the Roma,” says its member governments strengthen the “historical record, so the world can better understand and remember what happened.”
“We equip leaders with what they need to craft international policies that support democratic and inclusive societies to help prevent genocide in the future,” the alliance says. Running parallel to the Abraham Accords, the “IHRA Accords” are a joint international effort to persuade countries, regional bodies and institutions to join IHRA and adopt its working definition of Jew-hatred.
Paraguay became the eighth Latin American country to say it is adopting the working definition. Argentina is the only Latin American country with full-member status in IHRA, and Uruguay is an observer nation.
The United States and Argentina have made a concerted push to expand IHRA adoption across the region. Costa Rica was previously reported to be planning to pursue membership as well, but its government has yet to confirm that publicly.
The Dominican Republic became the seventh Latin American country to adopt the definition, joining Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and Uruguay. A source familiar with the effort said the Dominican decision came through the work of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, along with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kaploun.
The IHRA definition offers guidance for identifying when criticism of Israel or Jews crosses into antisemitism, including through double standards, denial of Jewish self-determination or the use of classic antisemitic tropes.
Thursday’s announcement starts a process for Paraguay, which currently holds observer status. It could later become an IHRA liaison and then a full member.
About 1,100 Jews live in Paraguay, according to the World Jewish Congress. “Largely traditional, though not Orthodox, Paraguayan Jewry is highly Zionist and concentrated in Asunción, the capital,” the group says.