On International Peace Day September 21st, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres shared a key message on the need for empowerment and unity on the road towards peace. “Cultivating a culture of peace means replacing division, disempowerment, and despair with justice, equality and hope for all.” said, Guterres.
These comments have come amidst Guterres’ appearance at this week’s BRIC Summit in Indonesia, at which several heads of state strongly implored Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace in Ukraine.
Speaking at a plenary session on ‘Building Bridges Towards Peace’ at Horasis Global Meeting in Brazil, Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, highlighted the importance of the democratic process in collaborative efforts to make the world more peaceful.
“Democracy is not perfect, it’s a process, a commitment based on values and fundamental principles we all agree to” said Berge. “Trying to foster stronger democratic values in the world can also in itself be a project of creating more peace and less conflict”, added the Deputy Leader,
Berje was joined by a panel of world leaders including Hichem Mechichi, Former Prime Minister of Tunisia, Rosalía Arteaga Serrano, Former President of the Republic of Ecuador, and Kyle Bozentko, Executive Director, Center for New Democratic Processes.
The panel discussion centered around bringing nations in conflict such as Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine to the discussion table, and if there is one country that would be best-placed to act as a broker.
The theme for Horasis, its first ever time in Latin America, is ‘Building Bridges Into The Future’, which brings together over 400 world civil, business and political leaders, to tackle pressing issues such as climate change, gender equality, technology, and economic growth.
Said Horasis Chairman, Dr. Frank-Jürgen Richter ahead of the event “As a global community, we currently face a number of key environmental, economic, and social challenges. Collaboration and cooperation between our world leaders is crucial now more than ever.”