Concert "We are for Peace"

Ambassador Borodavkin,
Excellencies,
Dear colleagues and friends
Уважаемые гости:

It is truly a pleasure to welcome you to this exceptional musical performance celebrating the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. For the first time tonight, some of the younger talent of the Bolshoi Theatre will be performing at the Palais des Nations. Добро пожаловать в Женеву! A special thank you to Ambassador Borodavkin and the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation as well as the Russian Cultural Seasons for their collaboration in making this remarkable tribute to the United Nations possible.

The Bolshoi Theatre is an enduring symbol of Russian history and culture, recognized worldwide as one of the foremost centres for the performing arts. The United Nations family attributes particular significance to this historic landmark. In 1999, UNESCO launched an international fundraising campaign to preserve and restore the 18th century theatre. Many world-renowned stars of the Bolshoi Theatre, such as the late great Mstislav Rostropovich, prima ballerina Nina Ananiashvili, soprano Maria Guleghina and bass singer Paata Burchuladze, have helped the United Nations promote peace, rights and well-being through their role as Goodwill Ambassadors for the UN, UNESCO or UNICEF.

Throughout the history of the United Nations, the Russian Federation has been an active member of the United Nations. As we celebrate our 70th anniversary year, in an increasingly complex and interdependent world, we rely more than ever on our Member States’ commitment to attain the goals of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, adopted at the current session of the General Assembly. The support and determination of our Member States are also indispensable in facing global challenges like terrorism, extreme poverty and the devastating impact of climate change. The latter issue will be debated in just a few weeks in Paris at the Conference of the Climate Change Convention and we very much hope that it will result in an ambitious binding agreement to cap global warming.

As we enjoy tonight’s event, a colourful repertoire that embodies a very international cultural heritage, it is my sincerest hope that it will inspire us to make our own activities worthy of standing ovations customarily given to the Bolshoi Theatre stars.

Thank you very much!
Спасибо за вниманиe!