Sunday Times 2
UNESCO celebrates International Day of Vesak with symposium on Asia’s Buddhist heritage
View(s):The International Day of Vesak 2025 was celebrated by UNESCO member states with a symposium titled “Buddhist Cosmopolitanism and Exchange along the Silk Road: Interplay between Buddhism and Trade in Ancient Asia”, on Vesak full moon day of May 12 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The symposium was organized by the Permanent Delegation of Sri Lanka in association with the UNESCO.
The Executive Board Chairperson Vera El Khoury Lacoeuilhe; Deputy Director-General of UNESCO Xing Qu; and the Chief Incumbent of the International Buddhist Centre in Paris, the Co-President of the French Buddhist Union and the Chief Sangha Nayaka of France the Most Venerable Parawahera Chandaratana Thera addressed the symposium, while the Ambassador Permanent Delegate of Sri Lanka to UNESCO, Manisha Gunasekera, presided over the event.
The symposium explored Buddhism’s pivotal role in linking the ancient civilisations of Asia, and highlighted the vibrant interplay and symbiotic relationship between Buddhism and trade along the Silk Road and across the Indian Ocean. It underscored the role of Buddhist communities as mediators of culture, trade, and artistic traditions, and highlighted their enduring relevance in fostering inter-cultural dialogue.
The symposium follows the adoption of the historic decision 219 EX/27 on the Commemoration of the International Day of Vesak by the UNESCO Executive Board at its 219th Session in 2024, subsequent to which the International Day of Vesak is celebrated in the house of UNESCO every year. The decision underscores UNESCO’s enduring commitment to promoting peace and intercultural dialogue through the profound and universal values embedded in Vesak.