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leadership of Ambassador Manuel Dengo and the Deputy
Ambassador Christian Guillermet -today Vice Minister- we
deployed major efforts so that the United Nations declared
in 2016 “the right of everyone to enjoy peace, human rights
and development”. This was a great achievement within the
United Nations, which involved close to 10 years of hard
work at the governmental and non-governmental level. Cuba
also played an important role.

After, I was appointed by UNESCO to coordinate with the
Abat Oliba University a reflection about the contribution of
the United Nations system to peace since the inception of
the United Nations in 1945. The vision and support from Dr.
Abdulaziz Almuzaini, former director of the UNESCO liaison
office in Geneva and my friend Mr. Bobir Tukhtabayev, senior
UNESCO staff, were fundamental to accomplishing the goal
of publishing the book Long Walk to Peace: Towards a Culture
of Prevention. I take this opportunity to recall that 32 funds,
programmes and specialized agencies participated in this UPEACE has its headquarters in Costa Rica, a country
joint action led by our UNESCO team in Geneva and Paris. distinguished by a long tradition of democracy and peace
This is an example of the United Nations delivering as One. begun when it abolished its army in 1948. Efforts to establish
the University for Peace began at the United Nations under
In June 2018, I presented my letter of credentials to the the leadership of the president of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Carazo.
United Nations Director-General as a new permanent Today his son, Rodrigo Alberto Carazo, is the permanent
observer of the University for Peace to the United Nations representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations in New
Office and other international organizations in Geneva. York, which shows the continuity of this long aspiration for
Thanks to the appointment requested by Dr. Francisco Rojas peace in the United Nations coming from Costa Rica.
Aravena, Rector of UPEACE, I am honoured to represent
this important university to the United Nations system in The UPEACE mission is “to provide humanity with an
Geneva. In November this year, I was also confirmed by international institution of higher education for peace with
UNESCO as the Permanent Observer of UPEACE to the the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit
UNESCO headquarters in Paris. of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, to
stimulate cooperation among peoples and to help lessen
I regularly participate in debates about the present, future obstacles and threats to world peace and progress, in keeping
and main challenges of humankind. In this regard, I’m a with the noble aspirations proclaimed in the Charter of the
fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Science, which United Nations.
was created by Albert Einstein, Joseph Rotblat and Bertrad
Russell. I’m also member of the Club of Rome, founded UPEACE is part of the academic wing of the United
in 1968 by Aurelio Peccei and Alexander King at Villa Nations system, and has observer status at the General
Farnesina in Rome. I have also contributed to creating Assembly, while maintaining its independence in academic,
think tanks, such as the International Association of Peace financial and management matters. The United Nations
(APAIX) in Switzerland and the UNESCO Chair on Peace, Secretary-General is the honorary president of UPEACE.
Solidarity and Intercultural Dialogue of the Abat Oliba The General Assembly maintains a constant interest in
University in Spain. the activities of UPEACE, and in periodic resolutions calls
on the Secretary-General to report to it on its activities.
You are representing the University of Peace. Could you tell Accordingly, the Secretary-General reports to the General
us a little about what this is all about? Assembly periodically on the progress of UPEACE. I should
UPEACE is an intergovernmental organization with also recall that UNESCO is part of the governing body of the
university status, established by an international treaty. By University alongside the University of the United Nations
resolution 35/55 of 5 December 1980, the United Nations and the Government of Costa Rica.
General Assembly endorsed the treaty establishing the
University for Peace by adopting the International Agreement UPEACE has unique worldwide authorization to award
for the Establishment of UPEACE along with its Charter of academic and doctorate degrees, recognized by all countries,
the University for Peace. As of today, 41 states have signed this which are members of the General Assembly.
international treaty. On the eve of our fortieth anniversary is
coming in 2020, we would like to make a general call to those UPEACE is active in the Middle East and Caucasus region
states that have still not yet signed the treaty to do so for the by having signed memoranda of understanding with several
sake of peace and stability in our respective regions. diplomatic academies. Peace education will permit diplomats

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