Press Release by the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad
Seminar on
“The 70th Anniversary of the United Nations: Challenges for Peace, Security and Development”
November 28, Islamabad
The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), in collaboration with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China hosted a one day Seminar on “The 70th Anniversary of the United Nations: Challenges for Peace, Security and Development.” The seminar was held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations (UN), with the aim of analyzing its achievements and failures and its future role in the world. H.E. Mr. Sun Weidong, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China was the Keynote Speaker at the seminar who highlighted China’s role in the UN, and its vision about the organization’s future, including greater Chinese participation in UN peacekeeping system. He said that China is a strong supporter of the respect for each other’s sovereignty, the principle of non-confrontation and equality within the UN. China, he further said, firmly believes that smaller countries must be treated equally, and strongly appeals to the world to abandon the Cold War mentality. China supports peaceful resolution of all disputes and urges the important powers to shun double standards in order to effectively tackle the threat of terrorism. Ambassador Sun Weidong also stressed on the fact that development must be inclusive and that there is a need for inter-civilization exchanges in order to promote harmony.
Mr. Inam ul Haq, former Foreign Minister, was the Chief Guest at the seminar. In his address, Mr. Haq said that the UN is a voluntary organization of nations and can be as strong or as weak as its members want it to be. While the UN has made significant contributions to peace and security, it has also failed in numerous ways. Earlier, the welcome remarks were delivered by Ambassador Masood Khan, Director General ISSI, who said that the 70th anniversary of the UN is a time for both celebration and reflection as the UN has been successful in averting another major war and has been able to support economic and social development around the world, yet the quest for peace remains elusive as terrorism poses a potent threat to international peace and security. Pakistan, he said, is a strong supporter of the UN and would like to work closely with China, its ‘iron brother’, and the UN offices in Islamabad to advance the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. More than ever before, he said,we need to intensify efforts to free our fellow men, women and children from extreme poverty and deprivation and to promote universal respect for sovereign equality. Ambassador Khan lauded Chinese efforts to pursue peaceful development under all circumstances.
The seminar was also addressed by H. E. Mr. Indrika Ratwatte, the Resident Representative of the UNHCR who told the audience that there are more than 3,000 UN staff members working all across Pakistan.
