Your Excellency, Mrs. Zainab Hawa Bangura,

Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi,

Hon. Amb. Ababu Namwamba, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to UNON and UNEP,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning!

I am honored to join you in the Commemoration of the First International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at UNON. Last year, the 78th United Nations General Assembly adopted a China-proposed resolution by consensus, to designate June 10th as the International Day. This year, the global community coming together to mark this important occasion, with a series of commemorations which will take place at the UN Headquarters in New York and also its offices in Nairobi, Geneva, Vienna, Paris, Rome, Bangkok and in many other countries. Human civilizations, shinning like brilliant stars, scattered across the long river of history. From hunter-gather society to agricultural civilization, from steam engine to artificial intelligence, the torch of civilization has been passed down through generations, piecing together a colorful spectrum. Today, in the face of such a turbulent world with increasing challenges, we need more dialogues among flourishing civilizations than ever before to gain mutual understanding.

The first is to encourage cultural exchanges to transcend estrangements. Nowadays, with regional conflicts ebbing and flowing, the world is faced with profound changes unseen in a century and grappled with complex challenges intertwined with uncertainties. Standing at a historical crossroad, humanity is in urgent need of great ideas shedding light on the way forward and open minds to bridge cultural divides. To answer such a call of our times, China put forward the UNGA resolution to set up this international day, which rooted deeply in the Global Civilization Initiative(GCI) proposed by President Xi Jinping. GCI advocates respect for the diversity of civilizations, the common values of humanity, the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. The resolution, with widespread support of the UN members, offered both visionary and practical direction for dialogues. As the main sponsor, China is committed to working with all parties to fully implement the resolution, jointly promote the GCl, carry forward dialogues, and make greater contributions to the progress of human society. 

The second is to promote mutual learning to transcend clashes. As an African proverb goes, “One single pillar is not sufficient to build a house.” In China, we have a similar old saying which reads, “The going is difficult when doing it alone, the going is made easier when doing it with many others”. In the face of global challenges, no country can stand alone. Cultural differences should not act as source of confrontations, but rather driving force for progress. To build a global community of shared future for mankind, each civilization should pursue harmony through diversity and seek common ground while reserving differences.

The third is to uphold inclusiveness to transcend superiority. With the dregs of “civilizational superiority theory” resurfacing, some powers, in the name of culture, attempt to provoke bloc confrontations and cultural hegemony, which runs contrary to the spirit of coexistence and inclusiveness. As a Chinese saying goes, “A single flower does not make spring, while a hundred flowers in full bloom bring spring to the garden.” I have visited the Palace Museum in Beijing, the National Museum of Kenya, the South African Museum, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and many others. Each of these cultural landmarks bears witness to the spirit and legacy of a nation. Whether Chinese or African or others, each civilization is equal. They are all fruitful results of human wisdom. Only when each country’s path of development has been truly respected, can the rich diversity of civilizations become a wellspring of understanding and appreciation.

Dear guests,

Today, we gather together to build up friendship through dialogues, to reach common understanding through exchanges, and to harvest a full bloom in the garden of global civilizations. The music, dancing and costumes performances inspired by different cultures is going to start soon, hope you enjoy.

Thank you!