Home

Home > Organisation & Credentials > Credentials & Support > Statements of support

Statements of support
from UNESCO

UNESCO   |   Government of India   |   Dalai Lama   |   General   |   International Advisory Council

The General Assembly  |  Dr. M. S. Adiseshiah
Mr. A. M. M'Bow  |  Mr. C.L. Sharma  |  Snr. Federico Mayor

 

 

Office of the General Delegation UNESCO PARIS
Paris, April 11, 2003, 2:38 PM

Flash Info n° 134
Office of the Spokeswoman UNESCO

35th anniversary of the founding
of Auroville

Yesterday, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, participated in celebrations at UNESCO Headquarters marking the 35th anniversary of the founding of Auroville, a unique ' model city ' near Pondicherry, India. Opening an exhibition on Auroville, Mr Matsuura said that " as an intellectual and ethical organization, UNESCO cannot fail to be fascinated by this experience ". Inspired by the great Indian spiritual master Sri Aurobindo, Auroville has developed into a full-fledged city of over 1500 inhabitants and enjoys close links with surrounding communities.

Noting that UNESCO had supported the foundation of Auroville and, over the years, has continued to show interest in the unfolding development, the Director-General stressed the similarities between UNESCO's ideals, values and principles and those underpinning this unusual community. He pointed to the way in which key aspects of the Auroville experiment resonate strongly with some of UNESCO's major priorities and concerns such as dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions; cultural diversity and culture as a factor for development, poverty eradication, quality education and life-long learning; and renewable energies.

The Director-General expressed his appreciation of the cooperation with the Indian Permanent Delegation in organizing the Auroville celebration at Headquarters.

 

Snr. Federico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO, in his letter of 31.01.98:

"The Auroville project situated in Tamil Nadu, South India, which has been supported by the General Conference of UNESCO in 1966, 1968, 1970 and 1983, is actively developing according to the basic principles of international understanding and human unity."



Mr. C.L. Sharma, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO came from Paris on behalf of Snr. Federico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO, for the first meeting of the (second) Auroville International Advisory Council on 27th February 1993. In an interview about UNESCO's connection with Auroville, he said:

"I am absolutely delighted to be here and it is much better than I expected it to be. UNESCO has been conscious for a long time of Auroville's mission, of what it is trying to do. There have been successive resolutions passed by the General Assembly in favour of Auroville, bringing it to the notice of our 170 member states. UNESCO has also associated itself with seminars and meetings and contributed $ 25,000 to the recent Birthday celebrations. This is a very clear expression of UNESCO's, not just interest, but support and appreciation of an experiment that we definitely want to succeed because today's world problems are due to lack of understanding between human beings. (...) We need to make a conscious effort in "peace building". Billions of dollars are spent on "peace keeping". This is only a short-term remedy, but "peace building" is the longer term and that is UNESCO's mission. The mission of Auroville has a lot in common with what UNESCO is trying to do."

 

Mr. A. M. M'Bow from Senegal, then Director-General of UNESCO, during his visit in 1986, addressing the Auroville residents as a member of the (first) Auroville International Advisory Council created under the "Auroville (Emergency Provision) Act 1980":

"You have been able to transcend what yesterday may have been barriers, that separated you. You work together, you understand each other, and perhaps you are what I might say a summing-up of the aspiration of the world of tomorrow."

 

Dr. M. S. Adiseshiah, then Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, in an interview with All India Radio Broadcast on 28th February 1969:

Q. How would you assess the importance of Auroville for India and the world?

A. "For India, I believe that we need, as a country, everything that can help us to live together as a people with many different cultural backgrounds, religious backgrounds and social backgrounds. Our programme for national integration is one expression of this, and I believe that in Auroville we will have yet another start, a start based on the fundamental unity of the human mind and of human consciousness for the flowering of the kind of unity which our country needs so desperately today. (...) I believe that Auroville is one of the pilots that can lead us on to that land of unity where we can all join together in working for the development of our country ...
As far as the world is concerned, I believe, in addition to development, the need for peace does not need any repeating on my part. I believe that peace which passes beyond economic and political arrangements on which the present uneasy truce is based, peace based on the consciousness of men as men, of certainties in our hearts and spirit, on which Auroville and its programme is founded, will assure the peace that we are looking for in the world."

 

Dr. M. S. Adiseshiah, then Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, at the Auroville - UNESCO symposium in Pondicherry in March 1968:

"We have tried in UNESCO....we have tried every way, and we have failed. And so now we turn to Auroville.... And so, on behalf of UNESCO....I hail Auroville, its conception and realisation, as a hope for all of us and particularly for our children, for our youth who are disillusioned with the world that we have built for them and who will find in Auroville as they found at the time of its foundation ceremony, a living symbol, inspiring them to live the life to which they are called."

 

The General Assembly of UNESCO unanimously passed in 1966, 1968, 1970 and 1983 resolutions of support to Auroville, inviting

"member states and international non-governmental organisations to participate in the development of Auroville as an international cultural township designed to bring together the values of different cultures and civilisations in a harmonious environment with integrated living standards which correspond to man's physical and spiritual needs."

 

 

Organisation & Credentials > Credentials & Support > Statements of support >

UNESCO   |   Government of India   |   Dalai Lama   |   General   |   International Advisory Council

 

Auroville Universal Township                                 webmaster@auroville.org.in

 To the topGovernment of India  
🆕 We have a new website!   Visit us at   https://auroville.org/   for the latest news and information about Auroville.