Statement by Ambassador Dr.

Maleeha Lodhi,
Permanent Representative of Pakistan at the
High Level Forum on Culture of Peace

(7 September 2017)

Mr. President,

We thank you for convening this High-Level

Forum on the Culture of Peace for the sixth
consecutive year.

Mr. President,

A Culture of Peace, you would agree, is not just

about achieving passive peace the mere
absence of war. It is an all-embracing notion
that entails transforming those social
structures that threaten human dignity. It is
an overarching and enduring process for
justice and equality, religious tolerance, mutual
respect and understanding, development and
human rights.

The General Assembly Declaration and Plan of

Action on the Culture of Peace of 1999 bound
us all in a global commitment to build a new
century of peace and coexistence. Sadly
though, the challenges confronting us in this
endeavor continue to both be imposing and
complex.

Today there is more knowledge, information

and technology in the world we live in than ever
before. Yet todays world is beset with armed
conflicts, violence, wars and man made
disasters. And the worst refugee crisis since the
Second World War is another reminder of how
and where we have failed and why we have to
try much harder.

Mr. President,

Peace and sustainable development

complement and reinforce each other. But
peace cannot be achieved when we continue to
have widespread economic and social
deprivation, human rights abuses and
situations of political and economic injustice.

There are long standing cases where historic

injustices wait to be corrected and where
people are still denied their fundamental right
to self-determination. The most glaring and
tragic examples are Palestine and Indian
Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, both of which
remain an unfinished agenda of the United
Nations.

The situation in Indian occupied Jammu &

Kashmir is a travesty of international law,
justice and humanity. The plight and profound
suffering of the Kashmiri people should shake
the world conscience and urge the international
community into action.

The focus of the United Nations today is on

prevention and sustaining peace. Conflict
resolution however, holds the key to addressing
both the existing and emerging international
challenges.

If we continue to shy away from protracted and

complex disputes because they appear
intractable, sustainable peace will remain a
distant dream.

Mr. President,

The twentieth century saw two catastrophic

global wars within a generation. Even after they
receded into history, conflict and suffering did
not end.

But we wanted the new century to be different.

And so we declared the year 2000 as the
International Year for the Culture of Peace and
the first decade of the new century as the
International Decade for a Culture of Peace and
Non-violence.

But then we failed to live up to our own

promises.

To address these failures and inadequacies, we

need to adopt an approach that identifies and
builds on our commonalities. Interreligious and
intercultural dialogue will help create multi-
cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious
societies.

We must join forces for genuine and

constructive dialogue across ethnicities,
cultures, races, religions and nationalities.

Rather than erect walls to keep people out, we

should build walls against racism, bigotry,
Xenophobia and Islamophobia. This is an
imperative for an interdependent world.

Mr. President,

Pakistan, along with the Philippines, have, for

over a decade, taken the lead in presenting a
resolution on Promotion of interreligious and
intercultural dialogue, understanding and
cooperation for peace. This resolution enjoys
the unanimous support of all UN member
states, and is a reflection of our commitment to
achieving lasting peace.

This, we believe, is our contribution to fulfilling

the promise of working towards achieving a real
Culture of Peace.

As we embark on another Session of the

General Assembly, our commitment to work for
this objective remains an abiding and
unwavering one.

I thank you, Mr. President.