UNIS/SGSM/1387
19 March 2024
Dear friends,
Nowruz is a celebration of new beginnings – the start of a new year, the arrival of spring, and the rebirth of nature.
It brings together millions of people across generations and nations.
In these times of great challenge, Nowruz promotes dialogue, good neighborliness and reconciliation.
It reinforces the goals and values of the United Nations – peace, human rights and dignity.
So let us all be guided by the Nowruz spirit.
Let us find the strength to bridge divides, foster unity, and support one another.
Let the dawn of spring nurture new seeds of hope in our hearts – hope that we can move forward to a brighter future, as one human family.
I offer my best wishes to everyone celebrating Nowruz.
May it bring peace, good health and happiness to all.
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We must transform how we produce and consume, and how we value nature, says the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, "Biodiversity is the bedrock of life and a cornerstone of sustainable development.... Biodiversity loss is a global challenge. No one country, however rich or powerful, can address it alone. Nor can they live without the rich biodiversity that defines our planet."
LGBTIQ+ people around the world face an onslaught of hate speech, attacks, and restrictions on their rights. The power of communities is the theme this year which reminds us that we are strongest together. "LGBTIQ+ people, and those working with them to secure their rights, have proved time and again the value of communities in providing support and driving change," says UN Secretary-General António Guterres
"From the telegraph to radio, from the Internet to Artificial Intelligence, technology has transformed how we live, work, and connect." — António Guterres
Barbados signed and deposited its instrument of ratification for the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 8 May 2025.
