Remarks by the Director-General of UNOG at a panel discussion organized by UNOG's Non-Governmental Liaison Office and the Spanish Society for International Human Rights Law to mark the International Day of Peace

Palais des Nations, Council Chamber
Friday, 19 September 2008, at 14:00

Distinguished panellists
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the Palais des Nations to mark the International Day of Peace. Let me, first of all, thank our co-hosts – the Spanish Society for International Human Rights Law – for organizing this event with us. We all share the responsibility to promote peace. Governments, international organizations, civil society, communities and individuals have an equal duty to unite their strength to maintain and reinforce a peace built on freedom from fear and freedom from want. It is therefore very appropriate that this event is a collective effort. I commend the strong commitment of our co-hosts to promoting the ideals of the United Nations Charter. And I extend a warm welcome to our panellists who have taken time out of busy schedules to share with us their thoughts and demonstrate their own commitment.

As the Secretary-General emphasized in his message, the International Day of Peace takes on special meaning this year, as we celebrate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the sixtieth anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping.

Peace remains elusive in too many parts of the world. Conflicts, from Darfur to Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan, cause unnecessary loss of life and have a devastating impact on the structures that maintain societies, such as education, health and justice systems and the maintenance of law and order. Violent conflicts claim more than 50,000 lives each year. This year alone, 27 million children in conflict-affected areas are not in school. More than 25 million people are displaced from their homes. Tens of thousands of women are brutalized by sexual violence, a tactic increasingly used by warring factions.

Many conflicts are rooted in – and exacerbated by – grievances caused by systematic human rights violations, discrimination, marginalization and a culture of impunity that manifest themselves long before violence begins.

Realizing the Millennium Development Goals is also essential to peace. There can be no lasting peace without decent employment, food security and economic opportunities and as long as the “bottom billion” remains trapped in poverty. Our call for peace must be matched by an equally strong call for development. Indeed, never have the close links between peace, development and human rights been more evident.

The challenges before us are immense, but today is also an opportunity to be inspired by positive examples. Peace is possible. In places such as Nepal, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Southern Sudan, peace has been restored and societies are being rebuilt, often with the help of the United Nations and many other actors. Currently, more than 100,000 troops, police and civilians are deployed in 17 peacekeeping operations around the world. These missions are working to create stability, prevent violence, rebuild schools and health facilities, and ensure that refugees and internally displaced persons are able to return to their homes. The protection and promotion of human rights form an indispensable part of the mandates of most of these missions. These examples show that collective and determined action can bring peace and stability to nations – and hope to millions of people.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends:

It is very appropriate that we have come together here in the Council Chamber to reaffirm our commitment to peace. Firstly, this is where the Conference on Disarmament – the world’s only multilateral negotiating body on disarmament – meets. And achieving lasting peace and long-term development is closely connected with our ability to advance disarmament. This year, global military expenditure has passed 1,3 trillion US dollars. There can be neither peace nor development with such an amount of arms in our world. And so the International Day of Peace is also an opportunity to renew the call for a revitalization of multilateral disarmament that is critical to realizing our vision of peace and progress.

Secondly, this is where the Council of the League of Nations met. The failure of the League to secure the peace is a strong reminder to us all of the vital importance of our mission – and of the disastrous consequences if we do not live up to our responsibilities. “Saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war” is our core task – it is the very foundation of our Organization. And today is therefore also a reminder of the value and potential of the United Nations itself. It is a welcome occasion to renew our commitment to making the best use of that potential by continuously strengthening this Organization and enabling it to play its role fully.

As we meet here, hundreds of Heads of State and Government get ready to travel to New York to attend the opening of the General Assembly and a high-level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals. Celebrating the International Day of Peace around the world, we send them a powerful message of the shared wish for peace, development and human rights for all – and of the key role of the United Nations in achieving this.

I thank you all for joining us today to help send that message.

Thank you very much.