New York, 2 April 2014
Your Excellency Mr. Ahmed-Dawood-Oglu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey,
Your Excellency Mr. Román Oyarzun Marchesi, Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I’m very pleased to meet with you today at our UNAOC Ambassadorial meeting, which I convene under the theme “Peaceful coexistence as Path to Sustainable Development.”
First, I would like to welcome His Excellency Mr. Ahmed-Dawood-Oglu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey whom I appreciate his support to my mission in many occasions and look forward to hear his thoughtful remarks.
I would also like to welcome Ms. Amina Mohammed, Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning, who is joining us today to brief us on the current state of implementation of the 2015 Development Agenda, where we stand and what the expectations for 2015 and beyond are. She will inform us of the collaboration between her office and the UNAOC, the relationship between her mission and the vision of the Alliance for a better peaceful world for all.
Before I give the floor to our special and very important guests, I would like to remind you that since I took office, I designated Sustainable Development as an additional focus area for the future vision of the Alliance. I did so for 2 main reasons;
First; Peace, security, Human Rights and development are mutually reinforcing elements; without peace there will be no chance for development. Here, the UNAOC comes into play; since we live in a world of different cultures and backgrounds, the fight to build tolerance, protect diversity and promote co-existence is a moral obligation if we want to advance the causes of Peace, Human Rights and Development.
Second; The UN established the principles and foundations of the Culture of Peace since 1999. From then on, the UN has highlighted the priority of implementing this vision worldwide through the various mandates of UN bodies. This has become an urgent need as we have less than 20 months before the moment of truth where we will be judged by those whose hopes for development depend on what we achieve as we follow on from the MDGs.
Since 2000, the power of cultural diversity has been recognized. The Outcome Document of the 2010 MDG Summit emphasized the importance of culture for development and its contribution to the achievement of MDGs. This message was reiterated in Culture and Development UNGA Resolutions advocating for the mainstreaming of culture into development policies and strategies.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As stated in the Vienna Declaration and reiterated by our Ministerial declaration of September 2013, I am convinced that cultures, civilizations and religions contribute to the enrichment of humankind. The world’s diversity is a beauty to be cherished as a factor for global peace and development
Next month, we will be reaffirming the nexus between peace, prosperity and development, when my hometown, Doha, hosts the Preparatory Conference for the Sixth UNAOC Global Forum and annual Focal Points meeting, that will take place 29-30 April 2014. The conference will be convened under the theme ‘Peace for Prosperity and Sustainable Development’. I have sent you all invitations and I would like to encourage you to actively participate. I take this opportunity to thank the State of Qatar for hosting the conference and the Alliance will exert every effort to make it a big success.
The Alliance acts as a soft-power tool for cross-cultural dialogue, understanding and, eventually, peace. The Alliance is committed to promoting cooperative relations among diverse nations, peoples and cultures, and to diminishing tensions across civilizations. We strive to do so through innovation, dedication and efficient use of mandate and implementation.
We can’t do it alone; we will always need your support and cooperation and that of the UN system, as well as the support of all peace loving partners.
Thank you all and I wish us a very fruitful discussion.