New York, October 19. With only 57 days remaining before the opening ceremony of the 13th Belt and Road International Day and the Global Chinatown Belt and Road New Year Celebration series of activities, Chen Entian, Chairman of the Belt and Road International Day Foundation under the World Peace Ribbon Organization, has received an official evaluation and commendation letter from a British international public opinion and brand assessment institution.
Based on global public opinion surveys and cross-border communication data analysis, the institution concluded that the global public awareness, offline activity influence and international communication coverage of the Belt and Road International Day have exceeded more than 80 percent of international days established by the United Nations.
The British institution pointed out that the United Nations has set up approximately 218 international days worldwide, most of which focus on vertical and specialized fields with limited public popularity and folk participation. By contrast, rooted in the profound cultural heritage of the ancient Silk Road spanning more than two thousand years and based on the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative for international cooperation, the Belt and Road International Day has built a distinctive global festival system featuring the joint celebration of five major festivals, including Christmas, New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year and the Lantern Festival.
Over the past thirteen years, this folk-initiated commemorative day has evolved into a globally recognized public cultural brand with widespread international visibility. The institution highly affirmed that as an international folk festival independently cultivated and operated by civil organizations without reliance on official resources, its global development achievements represent an outstanding milestone in international folk cultural exchange.
Chen Entian expressed gratitude for the recognition and support from the international community. He emphasized that the team has no intention of competing with United Nations international observances. Every UN-designated international day shoulders unique missions and public welfare significance for humanity, with distinct values and social functions.
The Belt and Road International Day was jointly initiated in 2013 by Chen Entian, former UN Under-Secretary-General Ji Chaozhu, together with 1,216 Chinese and overseas scholars. Responding to the Belt and Road international cooperation initiative, the initiative aims to inherit the spirit of the ancient Silk Road and promote global peaceful development, and was officially established under the framework of the World Peace Ribbon Organization.
From the very beginning, the founding team adhered to a long-term, persistent development philosophy. Committed to inheriting and passing forward the Silk Road culture and the vision of the Belt and Road Initiative from generation to generation, the team focuses on long-term cultural heritage rather than temporary honors. Moving forward, the Belt and Road International Day will continue to deepen people-to-people exchanges, civilizational mutual learning and global youth cooperation, further enrich global folk cultural communication and contribute to international friendship and inclusive development.
