Inauguration de la sculpture « Colombe »

Ambassador Šćepanović,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to welcome this striking symbol of peace to the Palais des Nations in the name of the United Nations. I would like to express my gratitude to the Government and people of Montenegro for this gift to the Organization. I would also like to thank Ambassador Šćepanović and the Permanent Mission of Montenegro for their dedication to the cultural life of the Palais des Nations. Of course, special thanks to the artist, Mr. Miodrag Šćepanović, who forged this dove from the volcanic stone of his native land.

Today’s donation in the name of peace marks the 10th anniversary of Montenegro’s declaration of independence. This dove is a fitting gift for a state that has sought to build on its tradition of respect for others to incorporate an ethnically and religiously diverse population.

Reading today’s headlines, it is only natural to ask “does peace still stand a chance?” After decades of declining violence worldwide, we are witnessing a spike in armed conflict and its attendant horrors. Too many leaders, it seems, believe they can achieve their objectives through the barrel of a gun. History is littered with the wreckage of failed political projects premised on unmitigated power and hate. From the Neo-Assyrian Empire to the Third Reich, these entities failed because their brutality only sowed the seeds of resistance. By contrast, our most successful institutions arose from an understanding that peace is more than the temporary absence of conflict. Peace is a worldview, a guiding vision for humanity anchored on mutual understanding and respect. It recognizes diversity as a source of strength and compromise as the most legitimate way to resolve conflicts.

Peace requires an understanding that, in the words of John Donne, “no man is an island”. In other words, our safety and prosperity depend on the safety and prosperity of every one. In today’s interconnected world, where technology has erased the barriers of distance and time, we all have a stake in peace if we are to forge a safe, sustainable world.

This vision of peace is at the heart of the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, humanity’s roadmap for the coming decades. The Sustainable Development Goals are premised on the notion that peace, development and human rights are interdependent. It requires that we break down the silos that divide us along institutional and national lines to incorporate the insight of civil society and cooperate across divides.

I trust that, in the years to come, this dove will remind those who walk the halls of the Palais des Nations that peace is the only sustainable solution for humanity.

Thank you.