28 Sep 2018 – UNAOC convened a ministerial meeting of its Group of Friends under the theme: “Building Bridges: Using Soft Power to Promote a Culture of Peace”. The United Nations Secretary-General has committed to a vision of what he describes as sustaining peace. The Security Council and the General Assembly view this approach as “both a goal and a process to build a common vision of a society, ensuring that the needs of all segments of the population are taken into account”. This past April, the Secretary-General addressed the General Assembly on the issue of peacebuilding and said, “we need a holistic approach which prioritizes prevention and addresses the root causes of conflict by integrating peace, sustainable development and human rights”.