Francophone Ambassadors Urge Diplomacy, Dialogue for Sustainable Peace

By Margaret Ebeshi

As the world commemorates the International Day for Peace, the Francophone Ambassadors in Nigeria have called for diplomacy, dialogue and collaboration for sustainable peace.

The Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Yanko Yordanov, speaking at an event to mark the day in Abuja, Nigeria, said the United Nations invites people around the world to celebrate this year’s International Day of Peace, with the theme: “Let’s Grow a Culture of Peace.”

He said this coincides with the vision of the Francophone Community, which has always invested to make French one of the world languages, carrying a vision of humanity, aspirations and shared values.

“Peace is more than a noble vision for humanity; it is first and foremost a call to concrete action. And we are proud to be Francophones because the search for peace, the construction of peace, its consolidation are at the heart of the political project of the Francophonie. Faced with the growing challenges to peace, we, Francophones, act using the tools of always – diplomacy, dialogue and collaboration,” he said.

Amb. Yordanov added that the Francophones are driven to prove that it is possible in today’s world to invent, exist and succeed in French with peacer, while demonstrating that Francophone States trade more and collaborate better with countries that share their ideals, values and respect for democracy.

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He urged the world to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of peace by first making peace with Mother Nature to heal the planet and build a greener economy.

”Let us sow the seeds of hope and plant the trees of peace because peace is a light in the darkness, which guides us on the only path that will lead us to a better future for humanity,” he added.

The Bulgarian Ambassador noted that all the activities this year coincide with the launch of the United Nations Summit for the Future, which aims to relaunch efforts across the world to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030.

Also, the representative for West Africa of the International Organisation of the Francophone, IOF, Thi Hoang Mai Tran, urged world leaders to emulate the IOF in establishing and implementing policies that promote peace and democracy.

The event also featured the planting of trees and the release of doves as a symbol of peace for the world.