GENEVA, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) Office in Geneva celebrated the upcoming Spring Festival on Friday, gathering about 300 diplomats and representatives from 51 countries and 15 international organizations.
The festive event was jointly organized by the UN Office in Geneva, the Permanent Mission of China to Geneva and the Permanent Mission of China to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
"I would like to say that this room has never looked more festive, more positive, more colorful. I would like to wish you a Happy Spring Festival," Tatiana Valovaya, director-general of the UN Office in Geneva, said in front of a red backdrop adorned with the Year of the Dragon design at the Palais des Nations.
The Year of the Dragon has a positive symbolism, she said. "The dragon brings us a lot of positive things, it brings us hope, it brings us prosperity."
Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization Daren Tang said the dragon in the Chinese zodiac symbolizes courage, foresightedness, mobility, energy and unity.
"The Spring Festival is also a time when families get together, and this sense of togetherness and family is very important," Tang told Xinhua.
Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, said the festivity is a celebration of more solidarity, fraternity and a better world for all.
In December, the UN General Assembly officially listed the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings starting in 2024.
Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the UN Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, said that Chinese culture emphasizes the importance of sharing beauty and joy, and China is eager to spread the happiness of this traditional festival to the world.
China aims to collaborate with other nations to actively promote respect for the diversity of world civilizations and encourage exchanges and mutual learning among different cultures, Chen said.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala attended the event in formal attire. She called for global peace and emphasized the importance of multilateral cooperation.
Nicole Ameline, a member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, stressed the significance of peace and sustainable development in an interview with Xinhua.
As a French citizen, she underscored the increasing partnership between China and France, which established diplomatic ties 60 years ago. She sees the Spring Festival celebration as a great opportunity to deepen cultural interactions between the two countries.
Showing a Chinese character he wrote on the red paper -- "Fu," which means "good luck" in Chinese, Bilal Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN office in Geneva, shared his happiness and praised the collaboration between Pakistan and China.
Maira Mariela Macdonal Alvarez, permanent representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to the UN office in Geneva, highlighted the close cooperation and dialogue between Bolivia and China.
"This celebration here at the Palais des Nations brings us a bit closer to the Chinese culture," she told Xinhua.
