Diaspora

Home page

Diaspora

Azerbaijani Diaspora in US welcomes UNGA decision to declare March 21 as International Day of Nowruz

24 February 2010 07:47 (UTC +04:00)

Washington. Isabel Levine â€“ APA. Azerbaijani Diaspora in US welcomes the UN General Assembly decision to declare Nowruz as a part of international heritage, APAâ€™s Washington correspondent was informed by Azerbaijani Diaspora. Widely marked in Azerbaijan as the Holiday of Spring, Nowruz was also celebrated for centuries by diverse nations spread from the Middle East and Anatolia to Central Asia. â€œThe decision of an authoritative international body, such as the UNGA, would prevent further misattribution of Nowruz to any one nation or culture, making part of a global human heritage. We look forward to celebration of the upcoming March 21, 2010 as the first International Nowruz Dayâ€.

Upon the initiative of Azerbaijani representation, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution recognizing March 21st as the International Day of Nowruz. Prior to its adoption at the 64th Session of UNGA, the draft resolution titled the "International Day Nowruz" was revised by the UN member states Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. In September 2009, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has also included Nowruz into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.