Global Movement for the Culture of Peace holds a Zoom Meeting

Global Movement for the Culture of Peace holds a Zoom Meeting

By Sorosh Roshan, M.D. [Founding President, IHAN]

August 17, 2020

This afternoon, the GMCOP held a zoom meeting to review the current status of the Culture of Peace. Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury addressed the meeting. Amb. Chowdhury said that the culture of peace must start with individual people and spread to communities and nations throughout the entire globe. He talked about the history of the movement and emphasized the role of women in peace building , decision making and gender equality.

He said that after nine male United Nations Secretary Generals, it is time to have a woman as Secretary General. The United Nations Charter arose out of the ashes of the Second World War II in 1945. The UN Declaration and Programme of Action on the Culture of Peace emerged in 1999 in the aftermath of the Cold War. Two decades have passed since 13 September 1999 when the United Nations adopted by consensus and without reservation a monumental document “United Nations Declaration and Programme of Action on Culture of Peace” that transcends boundaries, cultures, societies and nations.

It was an honor for Amb Chowdhry to Chair the nine-month long, arduous open-ended negotiations during 1998-99 that led to the agreement on this historic norm-setting document. He introduced the agreed text of that document (A/RES/53/243) on behalf of all Member States for adoption by the Assembly.