Donation Ceremony: “Ángel de la Paz”

Excelentísimo Señor Morales Moscoso,
Ministra Teleguario,
Embajadora Rodríguez Mancia,
Señor Toledo Ordóñez,
Excelentísimos Señoras y Señores,
Señoras y Señores,

Es para mí un gran placer acoger en el Palacio de las Naciones este elegante símbolo de la paz en nombre de las Naciones Unidas. Quisiera expresar mi más sincero agradecimiento al Gobierno y al pueblo de Guatemala por tan generoso obsequio a la Organización. Quisiera dar las gracias en particular al artista, Sr. Toledo Ordóñez, por su empeño en promover la paz y la protección del medioambiente a través del arte. El espíritu en que se inspira su obra refleja los valores de las Naciones Unidas. Quisiera también dar las gracias a la Misión Permanente de Guatemala y a la Fundación Mario Monteforte Toledo por haber hecho posible esta donación.

This gleaming statue embodies both the universal aspiration for peace and Guatemala’s own efforts to find it. This year, we are commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Peace Accords that ended the devastating Guatemalan Civil War. A conflict that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, shattered indigenous communities and witnessed severe human rights violations. The cycle of violence, however, was broken in 1996 when the parties came to the table and signed agreements brokered by the United Nations. These accords were the product of negotiations, not of illusory successes on the battlefield. Both sides made significant concessions and the agreements facilitated Guatemala’s transition to civilian, democratic rule.

The arrival of the “Ángel de la Paz” to the Palais des Nations is particularly timely as it coincides with the third Geneva Peace Week. This annual event is based on the premise that building peaceful societies is inseparable from defending human rights or pursuing development. To that end, Geneva Peace Week brings actors from various disciplines to find ways to leverage the wealth of expertise found in this city. It holds that we – all of us – have a role to play in silencing the guns and rebuilding shattered institutions. This was shown to be the case in Guatemala, where civil society, clergy and women’s groups helped shape the Peace Accords, as well as the peacebuilding that followed.

Estoy convencido de que en los años venideros, el “Ángel de la Paz” recordará a quienes visiten la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas en Ginebra que el logro de la paz depende de la consultación y la inclusividad.

Gracias.