Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Gholam Ali Khoshroo said on Thursday that a genuine global commitment is required to establish peace.

“What we need today is a genuine global commitment to bring about change for the sake of peace,” he said in an address before the High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace at the Trusteeship Council in New York.

Following is the full text of his speech published by IRNA:

Mr.President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is an honor for me to contribute to this debate on the subject of the Culture of Peace. I hope today’s Forum renews our commitment to peace and helps further our dialogue and understanding on this noble cause.

Seven decades after the foundation of the United Nations and given the experience of the past and current disastrous conflicts and wars, the subject of peace and the culture that nourishes it should be, now more than ever, the pivotal subject around which all Members of the Organization unite and take resolute practical actions. And accordingly, now more than ever, the desire for peace should prevail over every other interests and guide every aspect of the work of the Organization.

After many years of sincere debate and based on our vast experiences, today we know enough about dangers of war, about the adverse impacts of under-development on peace and stability, about the menace of violent extremism and terrorism, about the importance of tolerance and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, about the importance of disarmament and imperativeness of total elimination of all weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons and about many other phenomena, which in one way or another can contribute to or hinder the cause of peace.

What we need today is a genuine global commitment to bring about change for the sake of peace. What we need today is to break from the past, from the familiar and from the routine, to bravely embrace a more egalitarian, democratic and moral state of affairs in the world. The world needs peace and tranquility, and it is obvious. However, for peace to be lasting, it should be just.

As the tragedies caused by Daesh, Bokoharam, Al-nusra Front, Al-Qaeda and many other terrorist groups continue to unfold in many parts of the world from Syria to Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, France, Belgium and beyond, it becomes more and more clear that genuine peace can be established only through planting the seeds of wisdom, tolerance and respect for each others in the minds of all individuals.

Those who base their identity or power on confrontation, rejection and excommunication, are inherently against tolerance and peace. The whole world knows today which absurd mentality is nurturing the dark forces of terrorism, and how it should be stopped. What has prevented a serious action from happening, however, is short-sighted political gains and vested interests.

To further the cause of peace, it is imperative to stop supporting warmongers, to end occupation, to give up on the mentality that nurtures cultural and military hegemony and domination, to respect others, be it in the form of nations, life-styles or ideas. If we want a genuine peace, once and for all, centers of power should acknowledge that there is no military solution possible to the world problems.

Mr. President,

The great value of peace has always been known to humans, but this precious phenomenon has hardly materialized. Peace has remained a distant wish for humans. But today, the cost of war has made it a non-option. It is imperative for this generation to make long-lasting peace a reality.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, the main proponent of the idea of “A world against Violence and Extremism” embodied in the WAVE resolutions that are adopted by the General Assembly by consensus, once again invites all nations to unite for the cause of peace.