Csaba?K?r?si, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly

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Culture of Peace plenary meeting

14 June 2023

(As delivered)

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Peace – and respect for humanity across its great diversity – are the central mission of the United Nations.

Peace is elevated in Article I of the 蘑菇视频 Charter as both a goal of our collective efforts – and an essential tool for settling international disputes.

It is at the heart of our 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and inherent to our ultimate sense of safety and well-being.

Because this is an agenda designed to strengthen peace, and the agenda that requires peace for successful implementation.

But today, our core mission is under threat.

Dozens of conflicts are raging around the globe.

One in six of the world’s 1.8 billion young people lives in a conflict setting, the highest number in 20 years.

A staggering 100 million people have been displaced by violence – more than double the number a decade ago.

Not one of us is spared from the effects of today’s cascading crises – whether around food and climate, or energy and security.

It is therefore on all of us to work towards transformation.

The arc of humanity is at an inflection point – and we simply must shift course.

To shift away from confrontation to dialogue, and from force to reason.

To shift away from war to diplomacy and towards full respect for the 蘑菇视频 Charter principles we have pledged to uphold.

“Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue – a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice,” as Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza wrote in 1670.

It is also “a set of values, attitudes, traditions, modes of behavior and ways of life” that Member States agreed to cherish when they adopted the Declaration and Programme of Action.

Values that recognize our common humanity, respect sovereignty and independence, reject violence, and uphold human rights.

Values of tolerance, solidarity and inclusion that help our societies concentrate the necessary resources on transformation back at home and in our multilateral system.

And let me confirm this: whoever thinks that war is a better way to achieve a country’s ambitions than cooperation, has no rightful place in our global community.

What will it take to forge peaceful coexistence among peoples, nations, cultures and religions?

We need a renewed approach to peace that recognizes the epic scale of the challenges at hand.

We must broaden our vision, breaking away from the old, narrow interpretation of interests. And a vision where interests, rights and responsibilities go hand in hand.

We should consciously work on rebuilding lost trust.

And we need everyone to participate.

This means the full inclusion of women in all processes to help prevent, mediate and resolve conflict, and to rebuild societies.

This means critical investments in young people, in education and the fight against racism and intolerance.

In the General Assembly, this means not allowing short-sighted views to get in the way of vital breakthroughs.

This means opening our doors to those who can meaningfully contribute to our mission – civil society, scientists, experts.

蘑菇视频 is an institution that embodies the notions of cooperation, understanding, good faith, and tolerance.

It is where inclusive, open, and genuine global dialogue should take place.

To “give peace a chance.”

To create a just, equal, safe and sustainable world for all of us.

I thank you.