The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States have underlined the decisive role played by mediation in its various forms of peace-building efforts, from successful peace agreements to prisoner exchanges and family reunifications, calling for more investment in these efforts, supporting mediators, and encouraging open dialogue between conflicting parties.
This came in a statement delivered by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva Dr. Hind Abdulrahman Al Muftah, on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States, in her capacity as Chair of the Gulf Group, in addition to 137 other countries, during the general debate under item (3), within the framework of the 57th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The GCC States said that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, noting that peace is not merely the absence of conflict but rather r
equires a positive and dynamic participatory process in which dialogue is encouraged, and conflicts are resolved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation.
The GCC States noted that the values set out in the declaration, including respect for life, human rights, non-violence, education, dialogue, cooperation, and peaceful resolution of conflicts, are more important than ever.
They said that the political and geopolitical conflicts and tensions the world is witnessing today are a reminder of the urgent need to achieve peace across the world.
The GCC States highlighted the crucial role played by mediation in peacemaking efforts as a process through which conflicts are prevented, tensions are mitigated, and long-term solutions are promoted, noting that it encourages dialogue and cooperation, helps create environments in which human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected, and helps societies thrive in peace and security.
They pointed to the power of mediation facilitated by states, internatio
nal organizations, and civil society actors in its various forms, from successful peace agreements to prisoner exchanges and family reunifications, calling for more investment in these efforts, support for mediators, and encouragement of open dialogue between conflicting parties.
The GCC States stressed that the International Day of Peace represents an opportunity to renew the commitment to choosing negotiations over confrontation and to working together, not against each other.
Source: Qatar News Agency