“The Role of the United Nations in the Promotion of Peace and Human Rights”

Ambassador Manuel Dengo
Ambassador Chikh
Distinguished Colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Palais des Nations and to this commemoration of the International Day of Peace. It is the fifth year that UNOG celebrates this important day.

I would like to express my appreciation to Ambassador Dengo and the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica, as well as the regional groups of Member States, the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, UNESCO and our civil society partners – including the Spanish Society for International Human Rights Law – for making this event possible. I appreciate the collaboration among the many stakeholders that has made this event possible, in support of peace.

Today, people around the world are uniting to commemorate this day - the International Day of Peace. As suggested by the Secretary-General in his message, please join me now in a moment of silence to honour the victims (the Director-General stands up for a moment of silence).

As you know, one of the founding principles of the United Nations is the maintenance of international peace and security. In fact, this is so primary to our mission that it is stated in the first sentence of Article I of the United Nations Charter.

Although an admittedly lofty goal, the work of the United Nations towards peace takes very concrete forms. It can be seen in our peacebuilding, rule of law and democracy programmes, the support and promotion of human rights, and our work in sustainable development and disarmament. It is accomplished through our 15 peacekeeping operations across the world, our 13 peacebuilding and political missions, by the UN Peacebuilding Commission and Support Office, by UN agencies, funds and programmes, by partnerships with Member States, non-governmental and regional organizations. Here in Geneva, we have seen the Human Rights Council step up to action in Syria and Libya. UNOG also supports discrete efforts in mediation and preventive diplomacy.

As the Secretary-General mentioned in his video message, the theme of this year’s observance is “Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future”. It cannot be denied that conflict is a great impediment to sustainable development. It ravages economies, livelihoods and leaves social and environmental scars. In order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and build a post-2015 sustainable development framework, peace, stability and security are essential.

I am pleased that as we mark the International Day of Peace this afternoon, we have the opportunity to hear from distinguished colleagues from a variety of backgrounds. It will surely prove to be an interesting and fruitful discussion!

I hope that it will also serve as a reflection on the work that is being done around the world to build and maintain peace. And that through these actions, this noble goal will become a reality for all.

Thank you very much.