The ceremony was held at the World Intellectual Property Organization building in Geneva on March 21, marking the beginning of the Persian New Year and arrival of spring.
During the ceremony, Iranian ambassador to UN office at Geneva, Esmaeil Baghaei, delivered a speech on behalf of the 11 countries which celebrate Nowruz, discussing the philosophy of Nowruz and the importance of getting inspiration from this ancient rite to promote solidarity, friendship and mutual respect among nations.
Baghaei described Nowruz as the bearer of this universal message of welcoming transformation and renewal, and perceiving the dependency of human beings on nature and the environment.
Nowruz was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, and recognized as an international day by UN General Assembly in 2010.
The Nowruz ceremony in Geneva was attended by more than 2000 people, including ambassadors and diplomats, officials and staff from international organizations and Iranians living in Switzerland.
In addition to the Islamic Republic of Iran, which coordinated the ceremony, representatives from Afghanistan, Iraq, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkey also participated in the event.
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