High-level panel discussion on 'Buddha, Geneva Conventions and World Peace' organised

Kathmandu, May 9: The Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in Geneva organized a high-level panel discussion on the theme “Buddha, Geneva Conventions and World Peace” on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.     

According to a press release issued by the Mission, the event was held on May 8 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva and featured remarks from Nepal’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Ram Prasad Subedi; Ambassador Markus Leitner, Head of the Asia Pacific Division at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation; Ambassador Davaasuren Gerelmaa, Permanent Representative of Mongolia; Ambassador Usana Berananda, Permanent Representative of Thailand; Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); Ambassador David Fernández Puyana, Permanent Observer of UPFACE; Eva Svoboda, Director for International Law, Policy and Archives at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); and Marie-Laure Salles, Director of the Geneva Graduate Institute.     

The speakers highlighted the complementarity between Buddha’s teachings on non-violence (ahimsa), compassion (karuṇā), mindfulness, and peaceful coexistence and the humanitarian principles underpinning the Geneva Conventions, which aim to limit wars and protect people.     

Ambassador Subedi, in his opening and closing remarks, reflected on Buddha’s teachings and emphasized peace as a common good. Ambassador Leitner recalled the contribution of International Geneva to global peace and, in the context of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Switzerland, underscored the close ties and longstanding cooperation between the two countries.     

Following the panel discussion, the Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Lao PDR, Mexico, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, along with representatives of Norway and Pakistan, delivered remarks from the floor. More than one hundred participants, including representatives of the Government of Switzerland, permanent missions, international organizations, academia, civil society and other stakeholders, attended the event.     

The event provided an opportunity to showcase the 70 years of diplomatic ties between Nepal and Switzerland, revisit the complementarity between Buddha’s teachings and the Geneva Conventions, reconnect Lumbini and Geneva, and prioritize peace, the Mission stated.(RSS)