SUA meets with UNESCO

The Syriac Universal Alliance (SUA) was established on 16^th of June 1983 in New Jersey , United States . The main goal of SUA is to defend the interest of the Aramean (Syriac) people worldwide. In order to gain a wider influence, in 1997 SUA applied for a status with the Economical and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC). In 1999 SUA was granted a special consultative status with ECOSOC. Since then, SUA has been attending various conferences and meetings dealing with human rights, crime prevention and drugs control in New York, Geneva and Vienna.

The Aramean (Syriac) people have a very rich heritage of at least three thousand years, which have been kept alive in spite of discrimination, persecutions and ethnic cleansing during hundreds of years. In order to preserve, develop and promote this rich Aramean (Syriac) heritage, in August 2002, SUA applied for a status with UNESCO. In November 2002 UNESCO replied positively to our application and invited us for a talk to discuss the specific fields upon which we could work together. An appointment was made with UNESCO on 24^th of February 2003 to explore our cooperation. On Monday, the 24^th of February, the SUA delegation met with UNESCO in Paris. The SUA delegation gave some background information about our people- including some historical information- and also handed over a copy of the project: The Hidden Pearl. The delegation spoke with several people in charge of various fields, in order to exchange views and explore the possibility for future cooperation.

  In further consideration of SUA’s attaining NGO status, UNESCO is awaiting additional specific documentation pertaining to the work of SUA.