UNITED NATIONS, Jul 26 (APP): As the Olympics and Paralympics get underway in Paris on Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for global respect of the Olympic Truce \u2013 a custom of halting all hostilities from before to after the Games.<\/p>\n
In November, the UN General Assembly adopted a vote to observe the truce in Paris.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a moment like this, it\u2019s important to say that the first recorded in history real peace initiative was the Olympic Truce,\u201d Guterres said during a press encounter in the French capital alongside International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so, in a moment in which the Olympic Games are going to start, it\u2019s time to remind the world of the importance of the Olympic Truce and to make the world understand that we must silence the guns,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The UN chief noted many points of existing conflict across the globe including in Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and more. He said the Olympic Games symbolize \u201ccooperation and loyal competition, instead of division and conflict\u201d. Therefore, he encouraged countries to foster unity the way athletes are during these games.<\/p>\n