The International Day of Vesak 2025 was commemorated by the Member States of UNESCO with a scholarly symposium held under the theme “Buddhist Cosmopolitanism and Exchange along the Silk Road: Interplay between Buddhism and Trade in Ancient Asia.” The event took place on the full moon day of Vesak, May 12, 2025, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. It was organised by the Permanent Delegation of Sri Lanka in association with UNESCO.
The Symposium was graced by several distinguished guests. Chairperson of the UNESCO Executive Board Vera El Khoury Lacoeuilhe, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO Xing Qu, and The Most Venerable Parawahera Chandaratana Thera—Chief Incumbent of the International Buddhist Centre in Paris, Co-President of the French Buddhist Union, and Chief Sangha Nayaka of France—addressed the gathering as Guests of Honour. The event was presided over by Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Sri Lanka to UNESCO, Manisha Gunasekera.
The keynote address was delivered by eminent historian, numismatist, art historian, and archaeologist Professor Osmund Bopearachchi, a Corresponding Member of the French Academy of Inscriptions and Belles Lettres and Emeritus Director of Research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research. His keynote was followed by a panel discussion featuring a distinguished group of scholars, including Professor Jean-Noël Robert of the French Academy of Inscriptions and Belles Lettres and Collège de France, Professor Vincent Lefèvre of Sorbonne University and former General Curator at the Guimet Museum, Dr. Ariane de Saxcé of the German Archaeological Institute in Bonn, and Dr. Shabahang Mehrdad of UNESCO’s Silk Roads Programme.
The symposium examined the significant role of Buddhism in connecting ancient Asian civilisations and underscored the deep interconnections between Buddhist communities, trade, and cultural exchange along the Silk Road and Indian Ocean routes. Speakers highlighted the ways in which Buddhist communities served as mediators of cultural, commercial, and artistic traditions, playing a pivotal role in the development of inter-civilisational dialogue.
Discussions illuminated how ancient images and symbols served as visual representations of trade networks, social structures, and shared cultural practices, offering insights into historical patterns of movement and exchange across both land and sea. A lively Q&A session followed, fostering an engaging exchange of ideas.
The event drew a wide and diverse audience, including Ambassadors and Permanent Delegates to UNESCO, officials from the UNESCO Secretariat, academics, researchers, students, and members of the Buddhist clergy and other religious dignitaries from various countries.
This year’s symposium builds on the historic Decision 219 EX/27, adopted at UNESCO’s 219th Executive Board Session in 2024, which officially established the annual celebration of the International Day of Vesak at UNESCO. The Decision reaffirms the organisation’s commitment to fostering peace and intercultural understanding through the universal values embodied in Vesak.
In her remarks, Ambassador Gunasekera referenced the Vesak Day Message by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, which called on the world to return to the timeless principles of peace, compassion, and generosity taught by the Buddha. The message also acknowledged Sri Lanka’s central role in institutionalising the Vesak celebration at UNESCO, and highlighted the significance of the annual event as a platform for global unity and spiritual reflection.
