High Level Forum on a Culture of Peace at the Trusteeship Council Chamber at the UNHQ

UsaNewsOnline.Com Desk, New York, 1 September : Following the United Nations General Assembly resolution, tabled by Bangladesh, entitled ‘ Follow-up to the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace’, adopted by consensus on 3 December, 2015, the President of General Assembly convened today on 1 September, 2016 a day long High Level Forum on a Culture of Peace at the Trusteeship Council Chamber at the UNHQ.

It may be noted, since 1997 Bangladesh has been actively associated in bringing this resolution of culture of peace to UN General Assembly and has been tabling this important resolution since 2001. This year the resolution received strong support from the member states and it was cosponsored by around 100 countries.

The High Level Forum on Culture of Peace provides an opportunity for the Member States and stakeholders to have an exchange of views on ways to build and promote the Culture of Peace, which is, very much called for in present world.

The opening segment of the High Level Forum was chaired by H.E. Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the 70^th Session of the General Assembly. Ambassador Edmuond Mulet, Chef de Cabinet of the Executive Office of the UN Secretary General represented H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, and read out message on behalf of the Secretary General. Ms. Ouided Bouchamaoui, Founder of The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, Nobel Peace Prize 2015 Laureate, made the Key Note Address. The keynote speaker Nobel Peace Laureate Ouided Bouchamaoui’s inspirational address highlighted the role of civil society which can play and should play to make our world a better place ensuring peace and justice for all. The opening segment was concluded by the outstanding musical performances by FJ Music Duo.

In a full house chamber, more than forty countries made statements in the plenary segment which is the highest among all High Level Forums being held since 2012. H.E Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Bangladesh made the statement on behalf of the Bangladesh Delegation. He said a culture of peace is an aspiration of all humanity, the essence of the UN Charter, and also an imperative in the current global context. Promoting and inculcating a mindset of a culture of peace is at the core of peaceful and mutually respectful co-existence and dialogue among different civilizations, religions, faiths and beliefs around the globe.

The afternoon session was comprised of two Panel discussion. The title of the Panel-1  “Enhancing synergy between Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and eight action areas of the UN Programme of Action on Culture of Peace” which was Chaired by Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations. The title of the Panel-2 is Panel Discussion II: “The Role of Youth in advancing the Culture of Peace in the context of the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution on Youth, Peace and Security”. This Panel was Chaired by H.E. Ms. Katalin Annamaria Bogyay, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations.

Mr. Masud Bin Momen, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, intervened in the Panel-1 as a Panelist. He said, a critical linkage between peace and development has been underscored in sustainable development goals for promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development provided access to justice for all and build effective accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. PR of Bangladesh said, the Goals of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Action Areas of UN PoA on Culture of peace are well connected, as peace is the integral to the transformational objective to all human endeavours.

The statements of the President General Assembly and of the UNSG re-asserted and re-affirmed the commitment of the totality of the Member States for building the culture of peace and the international community’s determination to work more diligently for its realization. President General Assembly, as well as, most of the delegations acknowledged the role of Bangladesh in promoting the issue of cultural of peace at the United Nations and beyond.