On March 20, 2024, at the initiative of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, a special event was held devoted to International Nowruz Day.
The event was attended by the President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, the head of UNESCO Office in New York, Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives of the United Nations Member States.
In a video message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated all those who celebrate International Nowruz Day and recalled that for millions, it is a time for family and friends to come together, reflect on the past and express hope for a better future. He stressed that Nowruz promotes dialogue, good neighborliness and reconciliation.
President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis noted that the spirit of the Novruz holiday transcends borders, languages and religions, uniting millions of people around the world.
He stressed that now, when the global community is facing a huge number of challenges – from conflicts and climate to poverty and social injustice – Nowruz acquires additional significance, and also called for remembering common humanity and collective responsibility, the need to make every effort to build a better, more inclusive world for both current and future generations.
In her speech, the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the UN, Ambassador Aksoltan Ataeva noted that Nowruz is a great holiday reflecting the original, beautiful customs and traditions, valuable qualities of many nations, including Turkmenistan. The Ambassador noted that for Turkmens, this holiday is a symbol of spring renewal, the triumph of nature, fertility and peaceful life.
Aksoltan Ataeva stressed that it is especially important while celebrating Nowruz, to strengthen the bonds of peace, trust, love and understanding through our practical actions, decisions we make and documents we negotiate.
Speaking during the event, the Permanent Representatives of the countries initiating the event spoke about the traditions of Novruz in their countries, which are similar and are passed from generation to generation, acquiring new elements.
On March 21, 2024, as part of the celebration of the International Day of Nowruz, an exhibition of children’s drawings was also organized at the initiative of the Turkic states.
The purpose of the exhibition is to popularize the traditions and customs of celebrating Nowruz in different countries, to develop the creative abilities of children, as well as to bring together and strengthen friendship between young people from all over the world.
The drawings reflected the beauty of the Nowruz holiday, its traditions, customs and symbols.
The exhibition aroused great interest among children and adults and made it possible to acquaint the participants with the traditions of celebrating Nowruz. ///Permanent mission of Turkmenistan to the UN, 21 March 2024