100th Anniversary of Czechoslovakia

Ambassador Kara,
Ambassador Podhorsky,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I am pleased to be here with you to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Czechoslovakia.

The Director-General is away on travel and he could not join in the celebrations this evening. He has asked me to deliver the following remarks on his behalf:

“The year 2018 is one of many festivities. This year we celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a century since the end of the Great War which led to the creation of the League of Nations, to name just two.
Much like the League of Nations, Czechoslovakia too rose from the ashes of the First World War. And although no longer in existence, its legacy remains deeply imprinted in world history.

Czechoslovakia was founded on the principles of freedom of speech and equal rights for women and minorities, coupled with social and economic reforms. These principles continue to be what we strive towards today, at the United Nations.

With the donation of the Czech and Slovak Room in 1937, Czechoslovakia provided first the League of Nations and later, the United Nations, with the infrastructure necessary to achieve these noble goals shared globally.

The Czech and Slovak Room also speaks of the close ties between the country and Geneva.

The second daughter of the first president of Czechoslovakia – Tomáš Masaryk - married into the well-known Revilliod de Rive family – the same Swiss family who donated Ariana Park to the League of Nations, and the current home of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Today, the Czech and Slovak Room continues to remain a strong symbol of the two nations’ commitment to multilateralism and Geneva.

When the newly formed countries of the Czech and Slovak Republics renovated the Room in 1995, they agreed that the order of the names on the English and French plaques should reflect the harmony between the two countries.

Living in harmony, in an atmosphere of unity and agreement, is considered to be one of the most fundamental human endeavors that the two countries have committed to.

As successors to Czechoslovakia, your two nations have continued its proud tradition through mutual respect, courtesy and generosity.

This evening as we celebrate a centennial milestone of the founding of a democracy, with a showcase of musical talent from both the Czech and the Slovak Republics, let us reflect on the message of peace and equality passed down by Czechoslovakia. And let us take inspiration for the challenges that lie ahead of us.”

These were the words of the Director-General.

Thank you.