Promotion of peace, culture of peace, moral and intellectual solidarity

Some 45 professors, intellectuals, researchers, students and civil society activists from the NGO “Ambassadors  of Peace and Friendship Association”, with support of the National Commission of UNESCO and United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) learned more about  peace, culture of peace, moral and intellectual solidarity at the workshop on 17 January 2017, AVA Diplomatic reports.

At the beginning of the session, UNIC Director Dr. Maria Dotsenko welcomed the participants and thanked the organizer. Then she read former UN Secretary-General’s message on the occasion of International Day of Peace (dated 21 September 2016).

UNIC Reference Assistant Ms. Nazanin Ghaemmaghami, continued the session by navigating through UNIC and UN websites and introducing the related information on history of UN, as well as maintaining international peace and security. She introduced Security Council and General Assembly websites and how to find their related resolutions such as “women, peace and Security (S/RES/1325)” as well as “A world against violence and violent extremism (WAVE A/RES/68/127)” and “Uniting for Peace” (A/RES/377). She also spoke aboutSustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on SDG 16 “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”.

Then she introduced the website of UN peacekeeping operations and their financing as well as troop and police statistics. Among past operations there was a focus on United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group (UNIIMOG) and the Security Council resolution 598, which brought Iran-Iraq war to an end.

Another speaker, Professor Hossein Baher, criticized the veto power of the Permanent Members of Security Council and highlighted that peace will happen when nations better understand each other and people strengthen their ties, friendship and belief in God instead of selfishness.

The Chief of the Cultural Section of National Commission of UNESCO Dr. Abdolmehdi Mostakin spoke about rich culture of Iran. He reminded that culture of peace, moral and intellectual solidarity can be seen in many verses of the poems of the great Iranian poets such as Ferdowsi, Saadi, Hafez, Rumi and others. Iranian culture has taught us that we need peace inside ourselves, in order to be able to establish peace in the world.

At the end of the session, two young girls narrated in different languages some poems from “Shahnameh”, the masterpiece of the epic poet Ferdowsi.

At the side of the event there was an exhibition of cartoons related to peace. The artist Arsalan Ahmadinejad briefed the participants about his cartoons.

Young girls narrating poems in different languages

The organizer of the session Dr. Tayebeh Mohammad expressed her satisfaction and said she is planning to have a few more workshops on the same subject very soon.

UN Charter, posters on SDGs and UN System Chart in Persian language were distributed during the event.