Remarks by H.E. Mr. Arnaud Peral during International Day of Yoga 2025 (21 June 2025)

Remarks by H.E. Mr. Arnaud Peral during International Day of Yoga 2025 (21 June 2025)

Mabuhay!

Good morning to all. My name is Arnaud Peral, I'm the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations, the representative of the Secretary-General António Guterres in the Philippines, and it's a really great honor to be with you this morning for such an important event.

My dear friend, the Ambassador of India, thank you so much for helping to organize this day for the first time here in the Philippines, and I'm so happy and honored to join. Thank you so much to the University for receiving us, and to all of you who are here this morning.

This International Day, the 21st of June, was decided at the United Nations in 2014, and it was proposed by India. It's one of those resolutions and decisions that have been so widely and globally celebrated and approved.

One hundred seventy-five countries accepted and supported the suggestion. It shows how much yoga has become centered in the lives of millions and millions of people around the globe, and how governments also have been recognizing its importance. The resolution notes the importance of individuals and populations making healthier choices and following lifestyle patterns that foster good health. And this is the issue of this year, right? Yoga for One Earth, One Health.

And as you know, the WHO, the World Health Organization, has urged member states to do more to reduce inactivity. Inactivity is among the top ten leading causes of death worldwide, and definitely, yoga is at the center of the solution because inactivity leads to non-communicable diseases — cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and diabetes. So this year, the thematic of Yoga for One Earth and One Health is a very powerful reminder of how deeply connected we are — with one another, with our communities, and with the planet we all share.

Yoga teaches us how to breathe through challenges, to ground ourselves in the present moment, and to find peace, even in uncertain times. The Secretary-General said today that yoga unites body and mind, humanity and nature. In a dangerous and divided world, the benefits of this ancient practice are particularly precious.

Yoga offers a haven of calm. It connects us to our planet and reveals our common humanity. And these words resonate deeply here in the Philippines — a country known for its resilience, its solidarity, and its profound sense of community.

So today, every breath we take, every posture we hold, moves us closer to unity — within ourselves, with one another, and with our planet. To the young people here, the teachers, the health workers, the farmers, the artists, the community leaders, everybody here — your participation today is a powerful act of solidarity, and shows that yoga is not only a physical discipline; it's a practice of empathy, connection, and transformation.

Personally, yoga has helped me so much during my life and my career — to manage stress, to deal with difficult decisions, to improve my health, to better communicate with my family, my friends, and the world in which we live. It's such a powerful instrument, and I've been blessed with some of the teachings of yoga, but I still have a lot to learn. So I'm very happy to join this morning.