Delivered by: Ms. Fatema Yousuf, First Secretary
UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION
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Thank you, Mr. President.
I also thank the briefers for their important statements at our meeting today making the 25th anniversary of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the General Assembly resolution on the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of peace. This resolution contributed to the fact that the term “culture of peace” has become the basis for many efforts and discussions made in this organization on how to make this world more safter and prosperous.
In this context, I would like to highlight the importance of the following three aspects in advancing the culture of peace and its programme of action:
First, it is important to ensure the right to education for all children, including girls, and integrate the culture of tolerance and peace into educational programmes, especially in conflict zones. Children in these zones suffer from the profound effects and traumas resulting from killing and destruction scenes. It is the right of education that can guarantee a promising future for those children and enable them to play constructive roles in their societies. This will also help keep children out of conflict.
Second, youth has become the most targeted group by extremist and terrorist groups. Therefore, it is important to focus on youth, and design specific programs and projects to raise their awareness regarding the malicious schemes of these groups. Youth should be educated on peace to protect them from becoming a prey for those groups, and it is important to utilize their enormous capabilities and energies in supporting peace efforts and promoting the principles of tolerance. Giving young people leadership roles will also enable them to develop innovative solutions to counter hate speech and misinformation and reduce their destructive impacts on societies.
Third: We must seize the opportunities provided by modern and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence technologies, in confronting hate speech and false and misleading information. These technologies must also be used to encourage dialogue and communication between different cultures and societies, to bridge the gap that often becomes a motive for clash and conflict. In this context, my country recognizes the important opportunities provided by the Future Summit, the Global Digital Compact and the Future Generations Declaration processes in advancing international action in these areas in a way that contributes to bridging the digital divide and enable everyone to use and have fair access to digital space.
All these issues highlight the importance of Security Council Resolution 2686 and General Assembly Resolution 318/77. These two resolutions provide a practical roadmap for Member States and the United Nations on how to promote the principles of tolerance and the culture of peace.
Finally, I would like to conclude my statement with a well-established saying for nearly seventy-nine years in the introduction of the UNESCO’s constitution: ” since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed “
Thank you, Mr. President.