Opening Remarks by Interim UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Bradley J. Busetto at the Event Held to Mark World Peace Day 2024

Excellencies, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. 

Assalam Alaikum and Good Evening!

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this event to mark the International Day of Peace, headlined by a panel discussion “Fostering a Culture of Peace in the Digital Sphere”. 

As noted by the UN Secretary General in his message this year “everywhere we look, peace is under attack” as conflicts exacerbate around the world, I can think of no better time to reflect on the actions we all need to take within society to foster and maintain a ‘culture of peace’. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.[1] In the Declaration, the United Nations’ most inclusive body recognized that peace is “not only is the absence of conflict, but also requires a positive, dynamic participatory process”; one that must involve not just governments but academia, civil society, the media and other key stakeholders.

It is also especially apt that the theme of today’s event focuses on fostering a culture of peace in the digital sphere just as the Summit of the Future in New York, at which the Maldives’ most senior officials have participated is concluding. At a side-event in the run up to the Summit, co-hosted by the government and the UN, President Dr. Muizzu outlined his vision for an ‘intelligence-driven future” for the Maldives and for SIDS (or Small Island Developing States) countries in general. 

Digital is the dominant form of communication and media in the Maldives with an estimated 440, 000 of the 515, 000 resident population now online. Businesses are operating without physical stores via social media, as are many Maldivian news outlets that run entirely online. Connectivity across islands is no longer reliant on transport or good weather. These are all great opportunities for enhancing social cohesion and prosperity. But with this greatly enhanced connectivity and opportunities also come the challenges the whole world is grappling with including disinformation, hate speech and extreme narratives, online harassment and ‘tech enabled’ Gender Based Violence; all accelerated in scale and scope with the advent of AI. For media, a digital world reduces costs of reaching audiences, but the ‘attention economy’ can reward clickbait and fake news more than ethical and rigorous journalism. Tackling these challenges comprehensively through greater digital literacy, preserving social cohesion and human rights compliant regulation help countries reap the full benefits of this digital transformation while minimizing harms. It is no longer possible to separate the ‘digital sphere’ from the real world, so social cohesion must exist and be promoted in both. 

In the spirit of this year’s theme and declaration, I am also glad to note that today’s event and its headline panel discussion is one that is co-hosted by the Maldives National University and the United Nations in the Maldives. Most importantly, it is also a largely student led event, and you will be hearing from MNU student panelists among our other esteemed panelists from the public sector and civil society. 

I thank MNU, the Vice Chancellor, the Faculty of Arts and its dynamic student body for partnering with us and hosting us all here today in a truly incredible spirit of partnership. I must also congratulate you on co-designing an event which is so in sync with its academic objectives as much as it is an important national discussion on advancing social cohesion in the country.

Thank you