INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NAVROUZ WILL PROMOTE STRENGTHENING OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING

Dushanbe, 25^th February. (NIAT "Khovar", Dilshoda Dzhonmardova, Farangiz Rakhimova). On Tuesday February 23, 2010 at the 64th session of the UN General Assembly under agenda item 49 "Culture of Peace" was adopted by consensus a resolution entitled "International Day of Nowruz (In Tajik Navrouz), a spring festival of Persian origin, and moved back the dates of the next high-level dialogue on Financing for Development, as it continued its sixty-fourth session, the United nations News Center reported.

The draft of the resolution was prepared and submitted to the General Assembly by the delegation of Tajikistan together with delegations from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Turkey.

In accordance with the text of the resolution the UN General Assembly:

1) According to the Permanent Mission of Tajikistan to the United Nations, recognition of March 21 as the International Day of Navrouz will promote strengthening of mutual understanding, mutual respect, peace and accord between the peoples.      

2) Welcoming the inclusion of Nowruz into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

3) To encourage Member States to make efforts to raise awareness about Navruz and organize when necessary annual event to celebrate this holiday;

4) Calls upon Member States, which noted Nowruz, study the history of the origin and traditions of this holiday in order to disseminate knowledge about the heritage of Nowruz in the international community;

5) Invites interested Member States and the United Nations, in particular its relevant specialized agencies, funds and programs, mainly the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and relevant international and regional organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations to participate in activities undertaken by the states in which there Nowruz.

Navrouz, which literary means New Day in Persian, Dari and Tajik languages, is the traditional Iranian new year holiday celebrated by Iranian and many other peoples.  It marks the first day of spring and is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox (the start of spring in the northern hemisphere), which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed. Today, the festival of Navrouz is celebrated in many countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, as well as Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.