Culture of Peace: Recipe for Tomorrow’s World – at Oneness Fountain Heart 2009 Apr 28

Filed under Other programmes | Thoughts from the UN community.

Special Event! Tuesday, April 28 • 7:30pm

iThe Culture of Peace: Recipe for Tomorrow’s World”

Mr. Anwarul K. Chowdhury Ambassador, Former United Nations Undersecretary-General You are invited to join us for an illumining and inspiring evening with an outstanding personality of our times, a man who has dedicated his life to the servi ce of humanity.

As a li fe long diplomat, UN ambassador, President of the UN Securty CounciL President of UNICEF, Undersecretary-General for the Least Developed Countries, and recipient of the U Thant Peace Award and UNESCO Gandhi Gold Medal for Culture of Peace, Ambassador Chowdhury has a wealth of experience in the critical issues of our time – peace, sustainable development, and human rights.

The Ambassador will share with us his views on how to develop a Culture of Peace, after which he will answer questions from the audience.

Introduction by Adhiratha Keefe on behalf  “Sri Chinmoy: The Peace Meditation at the United Nations.”

2009 April 28: Tues, 7:30 pm

Welcome to tonight’s programme: “The Culture of Peace: Recipe for Tomorrow’s World” here at The Oneness-Fountain-Heart in New York.

We are most fortunate to have with us His Excellency Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury of Bangladesh, former United Nations Undersecretary-General for the most vulnerable countries. Ambassador Chowdhury has also held many other distinguished positions in the United Nations.

  • He was his country’s Permanent Representative,
  • President of the Security Council and
  • President of the Executive Board for UNICEF.
  •  Ambassador Chowdhury has received many awards and honours, including the U Thant Peace Award and the UNESCO Gandhi Gold Medal for Culture of Peace.

I would like to thank The Oneness-Fountain-Heart and its proprietor, Aparajita Fishman, for hosting us today.

And our friend Michael Shashanka Karlin was instrumental in organizing tonight’s programme. Shashanka worked closely with former Undersecretary-General Vladimir Petrovsky in Switzerland for the Non-Governmental Organization called ‘Comprehensive Dialogue Among Civilizations’.

We see here a photograph of Sri Chinmoy, founder and leader of the Peace Meditation at the United Nations, who was a lifelong “lover and student of peace”. Sri Chinmoy referred to Ambassador and Mrs. Chowdhury as his dear Brother and Sister, and they enjoyed time together here at  The Oneness-Fountain-Heart. We are delighted that Ambassador and Mrs. Chowdhury are joined tonight by their daughter and her husband, and we warmly welcome them all.

Sri Chinmoy said, “The outer message of the United Nations is peace. The inner message of the United Nations is love. The inmost message of the United Nations is oneness.”

He also affirmed, “From the United Nations we shall see the Oneness-World”. To be here tonight at The Oneness-Fountain-Heart and to hear about a Culture of Peace is truly a special opportunity.

Ambassador Chowdhury has been involved with the Culture of Peace and related issues – sustainable development and human rights – for many years. It was his tireless efforts as Ambassador of Bangladesh that led to the United Nations declaration of the year 2000 as the ‘International Year of Thanksgiving’ and the ‘International Year for the Culture of Peace’. This declaration in turn led to the ‘Special Decade for the Culture of Peace’. The General Assembly Resolutions provided a framework for many initiatives in support of the Culture of Peace around the world.

Ambassador Chowdhury has been an inspirer, an encourager and a facilitator to bring to fruition the highest ideals of the United Nations, not only within the United Nations itself, but around the globe. In the past decade he has relentlessly strived to bring the Culture of Peace to the attention of the public and of the highest decision-makers. He has traveled and lectured widely for this noble cause.

We are most grateful that he has come to share his vision and his inspiration with us tonight. Ambassador Chowdhury.

Text of Ambassador Chowdhury’s talk and questions and answers to be added. Video version available.t