PRESS CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL YOUTH ART COMPETITION

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL YOUTH ART COMPETITION

At a Headquarters press conference this afternoon, sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Spain, the president of the Spanish non-governmental organization Paz y Cooperacion, Joaquin Antuna, launched a global youth art competition, "Travelling to Make a Difference", which is being jointly sponsored by the World Tourism Organization and Airlines Ambassadors International -- a network of airline personnel dedicated to global service.

Also at the press conference were: the Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations, Inocencio F. Arias; journalist and radio announcer, Felipe Luciano; and the president of Airline Ambassadors International, Nancy Rivard,

Calling for participation from around the world, Mr. Arias said the subject chosen for this year's competition was very relevant in the context of the United Nations, which strove to create common understanding between different peoples and nations of the world. Travelling made a difference, increasing mutual knowledge among cultures and promoting understanding and respect for all peoples, he said.

Mr. Antuna said the objective of the competition, was to bring the complex issues that were discussed at the United Nations to the attention of young people throughout the world. This year, the theme of the competition was, "The right to travel in a world without frontiers", which related directly to articles 13 (freedom of movement) and 24 (the right of leisure and holidays) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The competition promoted travel, joy and leisure and the phoenix was used as the symbol for the competition, symbolizing rebirth and the positive impact of travel on the human spirit, he said. If the competition succeeded in promoting the human right of movement and leisure, it would be successful. The award ceremony would be held in Madrid in September.

Ms. Rivard said her organization was convinced that travel could play a more fundamental role in building a better world and fostering compassion between peoples and cultures. Its members would actively promote the competition by visiting schools in at least nine major cities in the United States, engaging young people in a debate on the impact that travel could have on their lives and on the lives of others. The competition would also be promoted during humanitarian missions to countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Columbia and Senegal. American Airlines had provided the tickets for the winners, who would be flown to Madrid for the award ceremony. Another award ceremony would be held at the United States Congress on World Tourism Day, 24 September, for the United States' runners-up in the competition.

Global Youth Briefing - 2 - 12 February 1998

Mr. Luciano, who is also host of the "Good Day Street Talk" on Fox 5 television, raised the issue of the importance of travel for disadvantaged children. Stressing the importance of the competition, he said, "We are already citizens of the world, but we are still myopic -- caught up in an insular world of provincialism". Stressing that children living in some parts of New York had no knowledge of other areas of the city, he said, "The easiest way to enslave a people is to keep them committed to one block, one city, one nation". In other words, to keep them myopic, so that they did not understand what similarities they had with other peoples around the world.

Travelling abroad would be invaluable for a child from Rwanda, who had experienced the horror of having hundreds of thousands of his countrymen killed, he said. It would expose him or her to different perspectives on life. In that connection, the competition was an example of how barriers among peoples could be removed. A national fund should be set up to send children from the inner cities and the Midwest to live in other countries for a number of years. Through such a fund, American children would travel and become exposed to other peoples and cultures outside of the United States.

Citing other examples of the effect of travel on people's perspective on life, he said if children in Bosnia and Herzegovina had witnessed the influence of Islam in Spain and its beauty, as manifested in huge mosques in places like Granada, they would never hate that religion. Such insight was only available when one travelled. Bringing children together would influence peace, he added.

Asked to what extent the World Tourism Organization assisted in promoting the competition, Mr. Antuna said the organization had contributed greatly. The competition was being promoted in that body's five official languages. While a private Spanish firm was funding the competition, the World Tourism Organization was responsible for its promotion in 138 countries, through their associated tourism bodies.

When asked if other permanent missions to the United Nations could also promote the competition, Mr. Antuna said he hoped that the outreach of the organizers of the competition would extend to all countries. He also stressed his organization's interest in promoting it extensively in the United States. Ms. Rivard added, "When we travel it begins to awaken in us the love for the diversity on the planet. This, then, is a foundation for peace and friendship".

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