UNGA president calls for constant nurturing of peace

United Nations, Sep 14 (IANS) UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces said that peace is more than the absence of war, and that it needs constant nurturing through the pursuit of dignity and equality.

Espinosa made the remarks as the United Nations marked the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

She said the culture of peace is the "thread" that joins the founding mission of the United Nations: "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war."

"It needs constant nurturing through the pursuit of dignity and equality, of human rights and justice, of respect and understanding, and of cooperation and multilateralism," she said.

Furthermore, the UNGA chief stressed that peace cannot be pursued in isolation. It requires "partnership, friendship, solidarity and generosity."

Recalling the conditions for peace set out by the General Assembly 20 years ago, including education, sustainable economic and social development, human rights, and gender equality, she said "these principles confirmed yet again that our work to promote a culture of peace is far from over."

She urged the international community to fulfil the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN charter.

"We cannot get there without working together, without invigorating multilateralism, without rekindling a connection between 'we, the peoples' and this institution," she said.