Remarks by Csaba K\u0151r\u00f6si, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly<\/b><\/p>\n
High-level Forum on the Culture of Peace<\/b><\/p>\n
31 August 20223<\/b><\/p>\n
[As delivered]<\/b><\/p>\n
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Excellencies,<\/p>\n
My good friend USG Guy Ryder,<\/p>\n
Distinguished delegates,<\/p>\n
When the General Assembly adopted, for the first time, its resolution on the Culture of Peace in 1999, it took a holistic approach to conflict prevention.<\/p>\n
It directly linked education, sustainable development and human rights, promoting peace and non-violence in ways that are still very relevant a quarter of a century later.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the number of conflicts across the globe has risen. According to scholars. we now have 56 wars and ongoing violent confrontations around the world.<\/p>\n
Nuclear threats are once again occurring almost on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n
And we have just crossed into a new frontier of the digital era.<\/p>\n
Digital technologies have created enormous benefits for our human existence and our interconnectivity.<\/p>\n
Yet, they have also sparked additional conflict dynamics and increased geostrategic competition, further endangering global security.<\/p>\n
They are raising new concerns about cyberattacks, misinformation, hate speech and malicious use.<\/p>\n
And, with nearly 3 billion people still offline, they are laying bare disparities in connectivity, income, gender, language and age that underpin the global digital divide.<\/p>\n
In parallel, the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence is challenging our common rules and our ability to guide development.<\/p>\n
The cause of concern has never been the technology itself, but the human intention of what would it be used for. For supporting well-being or turn it into a weapon.<\/p>\n
Left unchecked, these forces could cause irreparable damage across our societies.<\/p>\n
So, how can we adapt our Declaration and Programme of Action on the Culture of Peace to changes in the digital era?<\/p>\n
What governance frameworks and actions do we need to minimize the threats and maximize the potential of these technologies for the benefit of all?<\/p>\n
\u201cSince wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed,\u201d the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵESCO constitution declares.<\/p>\n
Two axioms are clear:<\/p>\n
Member States bear the primary responsibility for preventing conflict.<\/p>\n
And prevention must remain a political and financial priority.<\/p>\n
But, in the digital era, sustaining a culture of peace also means maintaining an online environment that encourages inclusivity, respect and tolerance.<\/p>\n
It means standing up against hate speech and discrimination online, too, as they are often precursors to real-life mass atrocity crimes.<\/p>\n
And it means addressing the danger of weaponizing new technologies \u2013 without compromising access to their benefits by the people that need them most.<\/p>\n
We must all be on board in these endeavours, and multilateral cooperation is key to our success.<\/p>\n
I am sure the Global Digital Compact being negotiated by Member States can help us ensure responsible use of the digital space, based on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.<\/p>\n
Dear friends,<\/p>\n
Colleagues,<\/p>\n
Excellencies,<\/p>\n
we should never forget that maintaining peace requires commitment.<\/p>\n
That our planet\u2019s resources are finite and human dignity is intrinsic to us all.<\/p>\n
Based on these pillars, let us build a future free from violence and war.<\/p>\n
And let us renew our quest for a world in which peace reigns supreme.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Remarks by Csaba K\u0151r\u00f6si, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly High-level Forum on the Culture of Peace 31 August 20223 [As delivered] Excellencies, My good friend USG […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-255863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-statements","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n