Remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 16th East Asian Seminar on the UN System

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Remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 16th East Asian Seminar on the UN System

Zhang Dan

Secretary-General of China Academic Network for United Nations Studies

October 14, 2016

Changnyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea

 

 

Prof. Hong Kyudok, President of KACUNS,

Honorable Han Sung-joo, Chairman of the Board,

H. E. SHINYO Takahiro, President of JAUNS,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

Good morning!

It’s my great pleasure to attend the 16th East Asian Seminar on the UN System. This is my first time to attend the East Asian Seminar. Please allow me to extend, on behalf of the China Academic Network for United Nations Studies, my heartfelt thanks to our host, KACUNS, for your thoughtful arrangements and preparations.

 

Nowadays, the world is undergoing complex and profound changes. There have been anemic global growth, resurfacing trade protectionism, and increasing regional hotspots and global challenges such as political and security conflicts and turbulence, refugee flow and terrorism. All these make it imperative and daunting to promote steady world economic recovery and maintain international peace and stability.

 

Meanwhile, new situations also emerge in the East Asia. Shortly after the 6th China-Japan-ROK Leaders’ Meeting in Seoul in last November, trilateral cooperation was relaunched in 17 areas including economy, trade, culture, education, science and technology, and etc. Two months ago, the Foreign Ministers of the three countries met in Japan. These developments have injected impetus to the peace and prosperity in the East Asia. However, serious problems of historical issues and territorial disputes still exist. Besides, tension in the Northeast Asia escalated, with DPRK’s nuclear and missile tests, and the situation become even more complicated with US-led joint military exercises and the development of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense). Therefore, the convening of the 16th East Asian Seminar on the UN System at this critical juncture is of great significance.

 

The theme of this year’s seminar is Strategic Approaches to Building Peace in Northeast Asia from the UN’s Perspective. And the topics include Peace and Stability in the Korean Peninsula and the Role of the United Nations, Enhancement of Regional Consultation and Cooperation among East Asian Countries for UN Peace Operations, Sustainable Development and Peace, Integrating the Respects for Universal and Local Cultural Traditions and Values in Global Governance, and etc.

 

The issues to be discussed are quite timely and meaningful. They are all urgent challenges and problems waiting to be solved in the fields of peace, security and human rights. I hope that we will engage in a lively and candid discussion on an equal footing to enhance mutual trust and expand consensus. Differences are hardly avoidable, so long as we conduct the discussion in mutual respect, we could seek common ground while shelving differences. We all come here to listen to each other and explore, if possible, solutions of common problems, not for fingers pointing. So I hope we can discuss in a friendly atmosphere and enjoy the hospitality of our host and contribute our wisdom on how to boost common stability and prosperity in the East Asia. I believe that through this seminar, we could come up with creative and constructive ideas for possible solutions of relevant issues, thus contribute to a more significant role by our three countries in global governance in the framework of the United Nations.

 

My delegation is composed of experts and researchers and we are ready to exchange views and ideas with colleges from ROK and Japan. I wish this seminar a complete success.

 

Thank you.

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