Liberia’s President, George Manneh Weah says peace is an essential element for global advancement that provides a positive framework for international cooperation and the enhancement of global trade and commerce. 

 

Continuing to savor company with world leaders in Paris, France, President Weah said without peace the world remains unstable, and he called for global attention and action to the sustenance of peace.

 

In a statement delivered Monday, November 12, 2018 at the Internet Governance Forum organized by the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Liberian leader said it was time to rekindle a new international spirit toward the attainment of world peace, adding, “The time for war is over.”

 

“It is my strong conviction that, without peace, the world can never be stable,” the President noted.

 

He said in the face of different kinds of conflagrations threatening world peace, it was incumbent upon all nations to resolve conflicts through dialogue, negotiations and mediation for peace, rather war, to prevail.

 

“While military force can be used to counter a military threat, it cannot, on its own, resolve profound underlying political, social, economic and governance problems or create sustainable peace,” President Weah told the UNESCO forum that brought together world leaders and dignitaries from international organizations. 

 

He called on the international community to give serious consideration to changing the paradigm for resolving differences and threats by moving away from military action as a primary option to conflict resolution by non-violent means. 

 

President Weah thanked French President Emmanuel Macron and UNESCO for the honor accorded him to attend the important forum and to share his perspectives on the critical issues.

 

President Weah’s statement aligns with the global search for a conflict-free world, which was the strategic goal of the First Edition of the World Peace Forum.

 

The Forum, attended by more than 75 world leaders, was convened by President Macron to observe the 100th Anniversary of the ending of World War One, and to discuss the importance of peace and security to international stability and the growth and development of nations.