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1997 - Address by Mr Federico Mayor |
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| Director-General of UNESCO | |
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As
this century and millennium draw to a close, the failure of violence, war
and constraint is obvious, as is the high price of that failure in terms of
suffering and human life. A cry of love and hope is arising today out of the
heart of Africa, calling for tolerance, sharing and peace. On this land
wounded by the memory of slavery, bathed in the blood of thousands of
innocent victims of hatred, on this land which cannot forget, but which
knows how to forgive, this cry is becoming a commitment. This cry is
becoming a summons to all the inhabitants of the world.
Mr
President of the Republic of Senegal, Allow
me first of all to say how pleased I am to be with you on the occasion of
the presentation of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize to Mr Fidel V. Ramos,
President of the Republic of the Philippines, and to Mr Nur Misuari,
President of the Moro National Liberation Front. I
am delighted that this great festival of peace is taking place this year in
Dakar, where we have come to honour our two prizewinners and to express our
gratitude to the Patron of the Prize, Mr Abdou Diouf, President of the
Republic of Senegal. The
welcome which President Diouf has in store for us is worthy of the great
traditions of Senegalese hospitality and UNESCO is happy to come to honour
the eminent winners of the Prize in a country like Senegal which places
peace at the top of its priorities. I
am pleased and very moved to tell President Diouf how deeply grateful UNESCO
is for the all-important backing that he has given the Prize since he agreed,
at the request of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny, to become its Patron.
Thanks to his support, the Prize can continue under the best auspices. I would also like to pay tribute to Mr Henri
Konan Bédié, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, who has once
again come to demonstrate his attachment to the Prize which bears the name
of his illustrious predecessor. President Bédié has worked unceasingly to
promote and to increase the prestige of the Prize which, in less than a
decade, has become one of the highest international distinctions in the
service of peace. It is my earnest wish, Mr President, that the
Yamoussoukro Declaration on Peace, adopted by acclamation on 5 December 1997
at the launching of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Foundation, this
Declaration of which you are in a way the father, will represent, on the
threshold of the year 2000 ‑ International Year for the Culture
of Peace ‑ a world commitment to understanding, harmony and tolerance. I should like to address my warmest greetings to
the Vice-President of the Gabonese Republic who is doing us the honour of
representing President El Hadj Omar Bongo here. President Bongo is well
aware of the unique value of peace, of which he has become the ardent
defender in his country and to the re-establishment of which he has
contributed beyond the frontiers of Gabon. Your presence here today in
Dakar, Mr Vice-President, increases the symbolic significance of this
ceremony by associating with it the pillar of stability in central Africa. Lastly, my thanks and congratulations go to the
President of the Jury, Mr Henry Kissinger, and to the other Jury
members, whose judicious choices have, year after year, enhanced the
prestige and the credibility of the Prize. Presidents, The
award of the 1997 Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize to President Fidel V.
Ramos and to Mr Nur Misuari, President of the Moro National Liberation
Front, celebrates a historic moment in the life of the Republic of the
Philippines ‑ the signing on 2 September 1996 of the General
Peace Accord ending a 30‑year civil war. UNESCO could not receive
better news than this promise of a future of stability and development for
the Philippine people at last reunited. This Peace Accord not only marks the
end of hostilities but above all constitutes a solemn act of recognition of
Others in the fullness of their dignity, legitimate ambitions and rights. Peace has therefore been officially proclaimed.
What remains now is to root it firmly in hearts and minds. In this context,
the programme for the integration and social advancement of the Muslim
populations of Mindanao, drawn up by the Government of the Philippines and
the Moro National Liberation Front, takes on its full importance. President Fidel V. Ramos and Mr Nur Misuari
have clearly understood that civil peace is not just the absence of war. It
is the fruit of a sense of belonging to one and the same entity, and of the
will to live together and construct a new community. Through their political courage and their resolve
to transcend the past so as better to construct the future, the two winners
of the 1997 Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize have set their country on
the path of that national reconciliation to which all their fellow citizens
aspire. Presidents, This
is a propitious moment to remember with gratitude and admiration all those
who have been able to sit around a table and to end often very long periods
of confrontation, violence, hatred. This has been achieved through
willingness and imagination in El Salvador, Guatemala, Mozambique and
Northern Ireland. Today, at this award ceremony, I appeal, as
Director-General of the Institution of the United Nations System in charge
of “building peace in the minds of men”, for an immediate ceasefire
wherever a fratricidal conflict exists and for perseverance in continuing
ongoing peace processes. Violence breeds
violence. It
is the word, not the sword, that will win at the end. In the Middle East,
Kosovo, Guinea-Bissau and elsewhere, it is time to stop the reason of force
and follow the force of reason. Our mission, commitment and promise is:
“to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, as stated in
the first paragraph of the United Nations Charter. We must invest more in
peace-building, in development, in education and health, and less in the
capacity for massive destruction. We
cannot change the past. We can learn from it, but we cannot modify it. We
can describe it, but we cannot rewrite it. However, we can change the
future; it is our best heritage, and stands intact, untouched before us. We
can share and care better. We can decide to use dialogue, tolerance and
non-violent approaches. We can end a culture of war with the century and
start a culture of peace with the new millennium. Distinguished
Prizewinners, Everyone
devoted to peace in the world is delighted by the Jury's decision to award
the 1997 Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize to you and hopes that the
historic accord you have signed will be the beginning of an era of peace,
prosperity and happiness for the Philippine people. |
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