Thanks to modern technology, Servas members occasionally have the opportunity to attend virtual UN meetings in New York, Geneva and Vienna. During the week of Nov 2-6, some of Servas International’s Reps to the UN attended online sessions of Geneva Peace Week 2020—an annual event of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform (www.gpplatform.ch) in collaboration with the UN Office in Geneva and other agencies. The focus this year was “Rebuilding trust after disruption: Pathways to reset international cooperation”. It aimed to “galvanize leadership, build trust and contribute to transforming international cooperation in the wake of COVID-19”.
Geneva Peace Week featured wide-ranging topics and inspiring discussion about peacebuilding in today’s world. You can see over 70 videos and podcasts of the sessions for free on YouTube by going to eu.eventscloud.com/website/3030/digital-series/. (Copy this link and paste into new window. Within this link, click on “GO TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL”. Select a topic, then select a session from top right side.)
Geneva Peace Week is a demonstration of how the UN, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), businesses, academia, and governments can collaborate in peacebuilding. Every voice is important in creating a just and peaceful world, and people of all ages, backgrounds and countries participated in this impressive and inspiring event.
Geneva Peace Week ended with the beautiful poem “A Recipe for Peace”. It was written collectively by 25 Geneva Peace Week participants from across the world and was illustrated live by award-winning artist Majid Adin. You can view it at youtube.com/watch?v=FKDdPvzjRH4&t=1s.
