{"id":293471,"date":"2026-05-13T10:11:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T14:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/80\/?p=293471"},"modified":"2026-05-13T10:13:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T14:13:03","slug":"pga-remarks-at-the-international-day-of-vesak-delivered-by-cdc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/80\/2026\/05\/13\/pga-remarks-at-the-international-day-of-vesak-delivered-by-cdc\/","title":{"rendered":"PGA Remarks at the International Day of Vesak (Delivered by CDC)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Remarks by H.E. Annalena Baerbock<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>President of the 80<sup>th<\/sup> Session of the United Nations General Assembly<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>at the International Day of Vesak<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Tuesday, 12 May 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>ECOSOC Chamber, United Nations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>[As Delivered by CDC, Ms. Sofia Borges]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Excellencies,<\/p>\n<p>Distinguished delegates,<\/p>\n<p>Ladies and gentlemen,<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On behalf of the President of the General Assembly, I convey warm greetings to Buddhists around the world on today\u2019s International Day of Vesak, a moment to commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Lord Buddha.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But, it is also an opportunity to reflect on how his teachings speak to the realities of our world today.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At a time of deep uncertainty and division, the Buddha\u2019s wisdom continues to resonate across cultures, religions, and societies.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>More than two and a half thousand years later, , his teachings of non-violence, loving kindness (<em>maitray<\/em>), compassion (<em>karu\u1e47\u0101<\/em>), and mindfulness (<em>sati<\/em>), remain profoundly relevant.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>They offer not only moral guidance, but practical tools for navigating conflict, fostering understanding, and building trust.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In many ways, the teachings of the Buddha also echo the founding ideals of the United Nations\u2014to choose dialogue over discord, cooperation over conflict, and understanding over hatred.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>His vision of peace extends beyond the mere absence of conflict\u2026<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It calls for social justice, empathy, and respect for the dignity of every person\u2014values that underpin the three pillars of this Organization.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>His teaching of the Middle Path\u2014rejecting extremes in favor of balance\u2014offers a powerful lesson for our work today.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In a world often defined by polarization, it reminds us of the importance of restraint, compromise, and common ground in advancing shared solutions, from sustainable development to climate action.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Above all, the Buddha\u2019s teachings reflect a deep understanding of human interconnectedness\u2014that actions in one part of the world reverberate globally.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On today\u2019s Vesak day, let us carry forward these values\u2014not only as enduring spiritual ideals, but also as practical principles to guide our work as we strive to build a better future for all, together.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I thank you.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Watch Broadcast <a href=\"https:\/\/webtv.un.org\/en\/asset\/k1m\/k1m48ntnbl\">Here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The General Assembly, by its\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/undocs.org\/A\/RES\/54\/115\">resolution 54\/115<\/a> of 1999, recognized internationally the Day of Vesak to acknowledge the contribution that Buddhism, one of the oldest religions in the world, has made for over two and a half millennia and continues to make to the spirituality of humanity. More <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/observances\/vesak-day\">Here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Remarks by H.E. Annalena Baerbock President of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the International Day of Vesak Tuesday, 12 May 2026 ECOSOC Chamber, United Nations [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":373,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[81,111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-293471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-speeches","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>PGA Remarks at the International Day of Vesak (Delivered by CDC) | General Assembly of the United Nations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/80\/2026\/05\/13\/pga-remarks-at-the-international-day-of-vesak-delivered-by-cdc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PGA Remarks at the International Day of Vesak (Delivered by CDC) | General Assembly of the United Nations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Remarks by H.E. 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