Kathmandu, Nepal - H.E. Kul Chandra Gautam, former Assistant Secretary-General of the UN and Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, was appointed Ambassador for Peace in Kathmandu on February 5, and called for religious harmony to insure peace and development.

The former UN diplomat was the Chief Guest at the UN World Interfaith Harmony celebrations in the capital of Nepal, his native country. In his keynote address H.E. Gautam said that “peace and development need interreligious harmony.”

He noted that the common ground on which all religions can work together is that they all teach a universal brotherhood and one global family of humankind.

Concerned over the current political situation in Nepal, the former UNICEF executive worried that Nepal was losing hope. “Buddha showed the way towards peace but we are still suffering. We are losing our culture; peace cannot be achieved by guns,” he explained.

Finally, H.E. Gautam gave examples of peace and reconciliation in Timor and South Africa highlighting the role religious people must play if forgiveness and healing are to take place.

The Universal Peace Federation and Religious for Peace, Nepal, worked together to hold the second annual UN commemoration. More than 150 participants gathered in the prestigious Nepal Academy. Present were representatives from many religious traditions, including: Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jain, Baha’i, Unificationists, Sikh, Buddhist, and the Brahma Kumaris.