UNITED NATIONS, Dec 3: Four eminent diplomats have been honoured at the UN for their contributions towards advancing peace and security across the world.
The recipients of the annual Diwali ‘Power of One’ Awards were former Acting Permanent Representative of US to the UN Ambassador Jonathan Raphael Cohen; President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly and former Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the UN Dennis Francis; former Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the UN Ambassador Darja Bavdaz Kuret; and former Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN Magzhan Ilyassov.
They were felicitated at a special ceremony held in the UN headquarters on Tuesday, co-organised by the Permanent Missions of Andorra, Armenia, Belarus, Chile, El Salvador, Eritrea, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Morocco, Sri Lanka, and Zambia to the UN; the UN Alliance of Civilisations; the Diwali Foundation USA; and the National Advisory Council South Asian Affairs.
Addressing the event attended by senior UN officials and members of the Indian-American community, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said even as the world faces difficult circumstances, the spirit of Diwali symbolises the triumph of light over darkness.
“We will find ways to work together, to face the challenges and to overcome those challenges, to collaborate for the benefit of our citizens, to collaborate for every person around the world who needs help.
“We will work for solutions to remove conflict… save our environment and… find cooperative solutions so that peace and security shall prevail,” he said.
Chair of Diwali Foundation USA Ranju Batra, who had spearheaded efforts for over seven years to get a commemorative ‘Forever Diwali’ stamp issued by the US Postal Service in 2016, said Diwali carries a universal message that hope is stronger than despair, good must prevail over evil, and that light must overcome darkness.
“Today we gather to harness the light of Diwali, a festival that in its essence, celebrates those same very ideals,” Batra said.
Ravi Batra, Indian-American attorney and Chair of the National Advisory Council South Asian Affairs, said diplomacy is the difference between war and peace and praised the awardees as “world-class diplomats” inducted into a symbolic “diplomatic Hall of Fame”.
Often described as the ‘Oscars of Diplomacy’, the awards are presented to former Permanent Representatives or senior UN officials who have “toiled selflessly to help form a more perfect, peaceful and secure world for all”.
Diwali Foundation USA was established in 2017 to promote a peaceful and consensus-based process to achieve societal good, a statement said.
The Foundation instituted ‘The Power of One’ awards to celebrate and highlight the important work done in a peaceful manner, especially at the United Nations.
Previous recipients include former UN Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women Lakshmi Puri, former UN chief Ban Ki-moon, and several former Permanent Representatives, including Mirsada Colakovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Kim Sook (South Korea), Miroslav Lajcak (Slovakia), Matthew Rycroft (UK), Kaha Imnadze (Georgia), and Keisha McGuire (Grenada). (PTI)
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