Opening of the conference and exhibition "Emir Abdelkader"

Ambassador
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Palais des Nations this evening on the occasion of the opening of the conference and exhibition, which pay homage to the life and works of Emir Abdelkader, as well as his role as a famous advocate of humanitarian law and inter-religious dialogue. I should like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation and thanks to Ambassador Jazaïry and the Permanent Mission of Algeria for this valuable contribution to the Cultural Activities Programme at the United Nations Office at Geneva.

This evening’s event holds special significance, not only because it provides us with an opportunity to pay tribute to the virtues of Emir Abdelkader as a human being as well as a leader, poet and scholar but also because, in doing so, we reiterate our commitment to the protection of human rights, promotion of international humanitarian law as well as inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue. The reputation of Emir Abdelkader, as well as his lifetime’s work devoted to global human interests, speak for themselves. Indeed, he was and continues to be, a symbol of tolerance, spirituality, conciliation and inclusivism, with a strong emphasis on innovation. He was a visionary and a pioneer – as is confirmed in his commitment to the rules governing the treatment of prisoners of war, amongst others. His works reflect his belief that religion did not exclude science, that science did not exclude humanism, that faith did not exclude tolerance and that pragmatism did not exclude spiritualism. Indeed, Emir Abdelkader’s work is as relevant today as ever before.

We live in a world in which we are experiencing increasing intolerance, extremism and violence due to prejudices in various societies, as well as a lack of mutual understanding and respect for our cultural and religious diversity. In a world of interdependent threats and challenges, these only serve to slow our progress towards achieving peace, security, economic and social development globally. The United Nations – as its name suggests – is tasked with bringing together all the peoples of the world, which means people of different nationalities, cultural and religious beliefs and backgrounds. This is of course not always an easy task given that our diversity – influenced by our cultural disposition and makeup – is also what governs the different ways in which we may approach, communicate or tackle issues. However, this is also where our strength lies since, through dialogue, not only do we learn to get to know one another but also build respect and understanding. We all must strive towards: an alliance of social, political and civil forces to counter policies and actions which isolate cultures and societies from one another.

Ladies and Gentlemen :
Emir Abdelkader is known to have wished for the East and West to build a common destiny, which would urge them to construct a future together. Indeed, his aspiration remains as relevant a challenge for us today as it was during his time. Our common humanity must triumph over perceived differences and this is where we can be inspired by the teachings of Emir Abdelkader.

I have no doubt that this evening’s conference and exhibition will serve as a reminder and inspiration to us all in our endeavours to advancing values of humanitarian law, human welfare and freedom everywhere, as well as to encouraging tolerance, respect, dialogue and cooperation among different cultures and civilizations.

It is my pleasure to invite Ambassador Jazaïry to take over on this important occasion.

Thank you very much.