UNITED NATIONS (TIP): Four veteran diplomats and a US lawmaker have been honored with this year’s annual ‘Diwali- Power of One’ award here for their efforts in working towards a peaceful and secure world. Hailed as the ‘Oscars of Diplomacy’, the award is presented to former Permanent Representatives or former High-Level members of the UN Secretariat or member state, or soon-to-be “former”, who have “toiled selflessly to help form a more perfect, peaceful and secure world for all.” Former Permanent Representative of Georgia to the UN and current Ambassador to Canada Kaha Imnadze, and former Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations Keisha McGuire were among those who were honored on Monday.

The other three awarded were former Interim Defense Minister and Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the UN and current Ambassador to the US Georgi Velikov Panayotov, former Permanent Representative of Benin to the UN and now Ambassador to the US Jean-Claude do Rego and former Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives Eliot Lance Engel. Engel was conferred the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony held in the UN Headquarters with the ‘Diwali Stamp Power of One Awards’, instituted in 2017 by the Diwali Foundation, USA. India‘s Permanent Representative to the UN and President of the Security Council for the month of December, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said, “It is a time to not just celebrate but to also pause and reflect…Above all, a celebration of the eternal values that are so relevant to what we do here at the United Nations – goodness, caring and compassion.” President of the 77th session of the General Assembly Csaba Korosi said Diwali marks the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, “much like we intend to achieve here at the United Nations.”

He noted that today’s world is in crises and in need of transformation. “We must – and I strongly believe we can – reinvigorate multilateralism and progress on our shared goals. I am sure that we too possess the power to create light and spread it across the world,” he said.

(Source: PTI)