Director-General's remarks at the Happy Spring Festival: Galloping with China

Happy Spring Festival: Galloping with China
Tuesday, 10 February 2026 at 12.30 p.m.
Salle des Pas Perdus, Palais des Nations

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to the Palais des Nations for today’s celebration “Happy Spring Festival: Galloping with China”.

I would like to warmly thank H.E. Mr. Jia Guide, the Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China, and his colleagues at the Permanent Mission of China for organizing this beautiful event in close collaboration with our UNOG Cultural Activities Programme.

Today’s celebration is much more than a cultural event. It symbolizes the importance of coming together, across regions, traditions and languages, to share what unites us as human beings. The Spring Festival, deeply rooted in Chinese civilization, carries values that resonate far beyond any one culture: family, continuity, community and hope for the future. It reminds us that while our traditions may be different, the aspirations behind them are often the same.

This year’s theme, centered on the Year of the Horse, offers a particularly powerful symbol. In Chinese culture, the horse represents vitality, perseverance, loyalty and progress. It also reflects the spirit of cooperation and partnership, qualities that underpin multilateralism and guide the work we do every day here in Geneva. In a world that, in the words of the Secretary-General, is marked by chaos, brimming with conflict, impunity, inequality and unpredictability, this symbolism feels especially relevant.

Events like today’s also illustrate the role of culture as a bridge between peoples. Through shared food, music, art and traditions, we create spaces for dialogue and mutual understanding. This is precisely the aim of our UNOG Cultural Activities Programme: to provide a platform where cultures can meet, where diversity is celebrated, and where people can connect beyond formal negotiations and official meetings.

The Spring Festival places great emphasis on family and reunion, and today we are, in a way, celebrating as one extended family within the United Nations community. By coming together in this spirit, we reaffirm the importance of respect, solidarity and shared progress, values that lie at the heart of the United Nations.

Once again, I thank Ambassador Jia and the Permanent Mission of China for their dedication and creativity in bringing this event to life. I hope that today’s celebration will inspire us to continue working together in the same spirit of cooperation and mutual learning that it so beautifully represents.

I wish you all a joyful Spring Festival and a prosperous and peaceful Year of the Horse.

Xīnnián kuàilè! (Happy New Year!)

Thank you.