New Delhi: India has revived a decades old tradition at the United Nations Office in Geneva by donating five Indian peacocks, including a rare white feathered male, to the UN premises.
The birds were formally handed over at a special ceremony by India’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Arindam Bagchi, to UN Geneva Director General Tatiana Valovaya. The gesture highlights India’s rich biodiversity while strengthening its long standing association with the United Nations.
The donation includes four blue peafowl and one white feathered peacock. Their colours also complement the blue and white associated with the United Nations.
India has previously presented peacocks to the UN office in Geneva. In 1981, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi gifted a breeding pair from the Delhi Zoo, marking the beginning of the country’s association with the peacock tradition at the UN premises.
The latest donation will see the birds cared for by Geneva Bioparc in coordination with UN staff. They will initially remain in a secure enclosed habitat for about three months before being allowed to move freely around Ariana Park.
Spread across 46 hectares, Ariana Park is among Geneva’s most prominent green spaces and surrounds the UN’s European headquarters. Peacocks have been present in the park for more than a century, with the tradition predating both the League of Nations and the United Nations.
The park’s connection with peacocks dates back to Swiss archaeologist and art collector Gustave Revilliod, who left the estate to the City of Geneva in 1890.
India’s latest contribution adds to the biodiversity of the UN complex while showcasing the country’s cultural heritage and commitment to environmental conservation, multilateralism and international cooperation.
