At Time of ‘Global Test and Turbulence’, International Community Looks to Partners in Asia to Advance Peace in Region, Worldwide, Secretary-General Says in Message

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Petko Draganov, Head of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, to the Xiangshan Forum, held in Beijing from 16 to 18 October:

I am pleased to convey greetings to the Xiangshan Forum, co-hosted by the China Association for Military Science and the China Institute for International Strategic Studies.

At this time of global test and turbulence, the international community looks to regional and subregional partners in Asia to help promote and advance peace in the region and around the world.  You are also gathering as we at the United Nations have undertaken a major review of peace operations, and Member States, including China, have recently made significant commitments to boost support for our efforts.

I welcome Asia’s dynamism and the growing global prominence of the region.  China and other Asian Member States are close partners of the United Nations across our common agenda.  At the same time, Asia faces challenges that could put our shared goals of prosperity, a healthy planet and dignity for all at risk.  These include political and communal tensions within the region, and competing territorial or maritime claims.

The Korean Peninsula remains a dangerous flashpoint.  I welcome all efforts to seek creative ways to resume dialogue.  The United Nations stands ready to facilitate efforts to bring peace and stability to the region. Climate change and extreme weather events are threats to the very existence of some communities in the region.  

In rising to the challenge of traditional and non-traditional security threats, such as transnational organized crime and terrorism, we must build new partnerships across many sectors and areas of technical expertise.  The cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations such as ASEAN [Association of South-East Asian Nations] provides a valuable mechanism for dialogue on key issues.

Let us work together, in the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations, for peace, development and human rights for all.