Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Olive Tree Day, 26 November 2020:
Today, for the first time, we celebrate World Olive Tree Day, and the values of peace, wisdom and hope embodied in this emblematic tree.
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The olive tree is […] a universal tree, which has accompanied humanity for thousands of years, embodying its aspirations and hopes; because with its legendary longevity and endurance, it reaches beyond short-sighted selfishness: planting an olive tree and eating its fruit is indeed a form of sharing and exchange.
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All that this tree symbolizes – the need for openness and exchange, the ideal of harmony between peoples and harmony with nature – led the General Conference of UNESCO to proclaim 26 November as World Olive Tree Day.
Thus, every year, this Day provides an opportunity to work for the peace promised by the olive tree, as the Algerian sociologist and poet Youcef Sebti wrote:
Great olive tree / tree of peace, […] Will a day come when you will be sacred, venerated more than today? / We will then offer to friends / your leaves. / We will kneel at your feet, / burn incense for you. / You will cover / cities, / villages, / countryside. / We will be happy; / the war will be gone
Youcef Sebti
Full Source: https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/olivetreeday
