High-Level Forum on The Culture of Peace

– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73^rd Session of the UN General Assembly

13 September 2019

Your Royal Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene

Ms Leymah Gbowee, Nobel Peace Laureate,

Your Excellency, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General,

Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It is truly a pleasure to welcome you to this High-Level Forum to mark the 20^th anniversary of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.

I particularly wish to acknowledge the presence of the King of the Ashantis, Otumfuo Osei Tutu the Second, in the General Assembly. This historic first marks another milestone in our effort to bring the UN closer to the people and to make it relevant for all people.  Otumfuo has distinguished himself as a peacemaker and a leader in the implementation of the SDGs and there could not have been a more fitting time to receive him here.   

Let me also pay tribute to Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury – founder of the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace; former Permanent Representative of Bangladesh and former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations – for his tireless efforts to take forward the vision of the Yamoussoukro Congress and turn the concept of the culture of peace into an actionable agenda. Truly, we are indebted to you for your leadership on the resolution  that gave birth to this anniversary and I hope that you will continue to advocate for the realization of its goal.

Dear friends,

It seems apt that the last event I preside over as President of the General Assembly is on the culture of peace. This is the thread that joins the founding mission of this Organization – to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war – with our efforts to address the raft of challenges we face today: from climate change to weapons proliferation, inequality to displacement.

Because peace is more than the absence of war. It needs constant nurturing: through the pursuit of dignity and equality, of human rights and justice, of respect and understanding – and of cooperation and multilateralism.

Just as the biggest challenges we face cannot be solved by one country, peace, too, cannot be pursued in isolation. It requires partnership, friendship, solidarity and generosity.

Values that have felt remote at various points over this session, in some of the discussions around the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, for instance. And most tragically, the extremist attacks in New Zealand, Sri Lanka, the United States and too many other places.

But in coming together to condemn these outrages; to find ways to combat hate speech, xenophobia and the things that seek to divide us; to promote inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, the General Assembly channeled the essence of the culture of peace.

Excellencies,

As we mark this anniversary today, allow me to list some of the conditions for peace set out by the General Assembly in 1999: education, sustainable economic and social development, human rights, equality between women and men, democratic participation, supporting participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge, and international peace and security.

These principles confirm yet again that our work to promote a culture of peace is far from over. In fact, it is a commitment for life. We need to fulfil the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Charter of the United Nations.

We cannot get there without working together, without reinvigorating multilateralism, without rekindling a connection between “we the peoples” and this institution – of the kind that saw 75 million people sign the Manifesto 2000 drafted for the International Year for the Culture of Peace.

That is why I have put so much effort into making the UN relevant for all. Because everyone is relevant for the UN.

Every person has a role to play in building a culture of peace – at home, at work, with friends and neighbours, on the streets and online. And we – as diplomats and decision-makers, have a responsibility to create an enabling environment, by building peaceful, just and inclusive societies as envisaged in SDG 16.

Dear friends,

We are here to reflect on the past twenty years and discuss how to move forward, together. Every one of us has a message of peace to share. And I invite you to do so today as we celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.

Thank you.