5/26/2006 - Jan Eliasson, President of the Sixtieth Session of the UN General Assembly Addressed Guests at an AFS International United Nations Luncheon Celebrating Intercultural Understanding
The H.E. Jan Eliasson, the president of the sixtieth session of the United Nations General Assembly and the new foreign minister of Sweden, delivered an eloquent keynote address stressing the importance of intercultural understanding as an antidote to our global problems. Eliasson delivered his address to an audience that included more than 20 ambassadors and 35 consuls general. Four World War II AFS ambulance drivers, two former presidents of AFS International, representatives of the Board of AFS-USA, key AFS donors, and staff from both AFS International and AFS-USA were also among the invited guests at a luncheon hosted at the United Nations by AFS International on May 19, 2006.
Eliasson was pleasantly surprised at the number of former AFS participants among the diplomats and ambassadors present at the luncheon. He started his remarks by recalling his AFS program and by saying that the AFS experience introduced in his mind the possibility that he would make of the United Nations and diplomacy his life’s work. He then remarked on the power of personal relationships, in what proved to be the recurring theme of the event. Eliasson said that AFS programs prove the immense power that personal relationships have on building trust and friendship among the people of the world. He said that diplomacy is characterized by respect for others and their culture and that creating the element of trust is how diplomacy will be made effective.
He also said that the world is in a period of turmoil and great danger and that there are gaps in our knowledge of one another, and in our ability to understand and respect each other. Eliasson described the importance he places on cultural exchanges as an antidote to the numerous global problems that we are facing. He said that if people spent six to 12 months in abroad on exchange programs their lives would change for the better, having been influenced for life by the exchange experience. Eliasson wished that educational institutions would undertake massive cultural exchange programs to counteract the dangerous tendency for polarization, radicalization, growing misunderstanding and antagonism that are at the root of so many of the world’s problems. He underlined the importance of seeing each other as partners and not look inward. “The United Nations is not an abstraction,” said Eliasson “we are the symbol of international cooperation. With the enormous challenges ahead of us, it is imperative that we work together.”
Francisco Cazal, president of AFS International thanked the event sponsors, MasterCard Advisors and Ambassador Gerhard Pfanzelter from Austria. He stated his hope that the event “serve not only as an opportunity to enjoy each other’s company but also to reflect on the importance of bringing the people of our world closer together”. He also said that “AFS programs provide our participants with unforgettable educational experiences which change the course of their lives and we know this makes a significant difference in how we perceive each other across cultural divides.”
J. Brian Atwood, the chair of the AFS International Board of Trustees introduced Jan Eliasson and remarked on his extraordinary trajectory as a diplomat and as a tireless advocate for human rights and peace. Atwood said that “Today we honor a diplomat, a fellow AFS’er (Sweden to the United States in 1957-58) who is about to complete a very difficult assignment, the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly.” Atwood thanked Jan Eliasson for his outstanding contribution to the international community and for his excellent diplomatic skills which have forged a more effective United Nations Human Rights Commission. He said that Eliasson, “in performing his work, has never allowed the very good to become the victim of the perfect. What he has achieved will give new impetus to our collective desire for a world that respects the human rights of individuals and pursues systems of government that offer democratic institutions that will protect the inalienable rights of all people.”
Presentations by AFS Participants
The luncheon closed with two presentations by AFS participants Briana Orr and Prutha Desai.
Briana Orr, is a 17-year-old who participated in an AFS Community Service Program from the U.S to Paraguay in 2005. She was born in Israel where her parents were based as journalists. Briana made an early start as a citizen of the world having lived in Russia, the United Kingdom, Canada and several cities in the United States, before settling in Brooklyn, New York. In 2004 she was selected for the HBO Young Filmmakers Lab to work with a professional mentor to crate a short documentary. She shot, edited and narrated a film exploring how and why we are compelled to leave our mark on the world. Briana will be graduating from Bard High School Early College Program this June with an Associates in Art degree as well as a high school diploma. She told the assembled guests about her experiences in a nature preserve in Paraguay where she worked in conservation and reforestation projects. She said that while she sees herself as an American, she is now partially Paraguayan and that the most valuable thing that she gained from her AFS experience was the ability to become part of another culture and to understand the world from another society’s point of view.
Prutha Desai, also 17- years-old, is a current participant (2006-07) from India to the USA. She is a member of the first group of Partnership for Youth Exchange and Study Programs (YES) students. The YES Program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of State and makes it possible for high school age students from many countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East to spend a year in the U.S. going to school and live with an American host family. Prutha, who overcame many personal obstacles, is a survivor from a catastrophic earthquake that struck her home city of Ahmedabad in 2001. She was trapped in the ruins of her apartment building and was rescued after spending 36 hours under the rubble. She stated that this tragedy has given her the courage not only to embark on her AFS exchange program adventure, but also to share her strength and hope with others. She spoke eloquently about the her AFS experience and how her time in the U.S has not only expanded her view of the world but has also allowed her to share her culture with others. Prutha, who is gifted with an beautiful voice, ended her address by singing a song that she composed especially for the event.
Both of these young participants’ remarks brought home to all present the enduring legacy that AFS programs bestow on the young people of the world and helped close the event with a note of optimism and hope for the future.
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