UN Secretary Ant\u00f3nio Guterres on Saturday received the Lamp of Peace award , a major honour from the Catholic Church, which he said recognises the work of UN personnel \u201cstriving for peace around the world\u201d.<\/p>\n
Reminding that after the horrors of World War in the 20th Century, \u201cthe UN was created in the name of peace\u201d, he affirmed that \u201cwe are united here today in our pursuit of peace\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeace remains our guiding star and most precious goal,\u201d Guterres said, accepting the accolade bestowed upon those seeking the peaceful coexistence of peoples.<\/p>\n
The Franciscan Lamp of Peace is a replica of a glass oil lamp that glows at the monastic grave of Saint Francis of Assisi, who, throughout his lifetime, inspired environmental ethics.<\/p>\n
The award was first presented in 1981 and past recipients included Pope John Paul II, the Dalai Lama, Saint Teresa of Calcutta and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a person of faith with a deep appreciation and respect for the mission of St Francis, this award and ceremony are especially meaningful\u201d the UN chief said.<\/p>\n
From the start of his first term, the UN chief has made the promotion of peace his top priority.<\/p>\n
And having seen some of the worst impacts of conflict during his tenure as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, he launched \u201ca surge in diplomacy for peace\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI put greater emphasis on prevention, establishing more rigorous systems and frameworks to analyse risks, reinforce decision-making and support Member States to take action before violence escalates\u201d he informed the ceremony, via videolink.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen COVID-19 first took hold, I understood it would be a new threat to peace and called immediately for a global ceasefire to fight our common enemy, the virus\u201d.<\/p>\n
“As an honest broker, bridge builder and messenger of peace, the Secretary-General is determined to use his good offices to build on those initiatives”<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the struggle for peace is often a Sisyphean task, given the complexity of today\u2019s interlinked conflicts\u201d, he said. \u201cWe live in a world where peace is elusive, and under enormous threat\u201d. He said<\/p>\n
Guterres painted a picture of countries and regions suffering from prolonged conflicts and places where peace is routinely undervalued and undermined, underscoring that these make moments like this even more important to \u201chonour peace, and reflect on our duty to uphold and promote it\u201d.<\/p>\n
Because it is not a passive acceptance of the status quo but a concrete act, and sometimes a difficult choice, the top UN official said, \u201cpeace makes demands of us\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in our fractured, troubled world, it is a vital one. It is the only one. It remains the driving force behind the work of the United Nations, every day, in every country,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Quoting Pope Francis\u2019 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, the Secretary-General reiterated that only by walking the path of peace, in solidarity, can we build a better future for all, \u201cbecause peace can achieve wonders that war never will\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a world where we can choose anything, let us choose peace\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UN Secretary Ant\u00f3nio Guterres on Saturday received the Lamp of Peace award , a major honour from the Catholic Church, which he said recognises the work of UN personnel \u201cstriving for peace around the world\u201d. Reminding that after the horrors of World War in the 20th Century, \u201cthe UN was created in the name of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":5561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[238],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foreign"],"yoast_head":"\n