As our nation was put on hold, directed to pause and reflect on decades of history , I am reminded that every year on September 21, the world comes together to observe the
International Day of Peace. The day is marked across the world to
promote the concept of peace, and calls upon nations to observe 24 hours
of non-violence and ceasefire even during times of conflict. The day is
one of the most important international days established by the United
Nations (UN) to help the world achieve international peace and
cooperation.
The UN Peace Bell is rung at the Peace Garden New York City United Nations headquarters every year and observing a minute of silence
to mark the International Day of Peace. The United Nations Association
of Japan gave the Peace Bell in June 1945.
The day was established by the United Nations in 1981. It was originally set to
be observed on the third Tuesday in September to coincide with the
opening of the UN General Assembly. However, the date was fixed as
September 21 in 2001, and it has been celebrated on this day since 2002.
With wars and conflict
causing upwards of 108 million casualties in just the 20th Century,
there is a greater need in establishing world peace than ever before.
With the advent of modern devastating weapons and nuclear armament, the
world can scarcely risk a scale war.
The ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia is testament to this fact. Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced and thousands killed, with many more thousands of soldiers dead and inured on both sides. Other raging conflicts like the ones in Yemen and Ethiopia have similar stories to tell. .
With
peace being only possible in societies where every group feels that
they are equally respected and with equal opportunities for success the theme for this year's International Day of Peace 2022 is "End
Racism. Build Peace."The UN revealed the theme
with the idea of promoting the concept of putting an end to hatred and
bringing peace to all facets of society. As the name signifies, the theme emphasises
encouraging harmony among diverse living communities. The theme also
promotes accepting variety while maintaining harmony and peace. Each of
us has a responsibility to promote peace. We require global commitment,
solidarity, and trust more than ever. This day also encourages
inclusivity, trust, and cooperation. We also have an urgent need to hold ourselves accountable for levelling the playing field of our society as we continue to promote world peace and an end to systematic global violence and dedicated to the aim of making a new world free of racism and racial discrimination.
As the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said:
“Racism
continues to poison institutions, social structures, and everyday life
in every society. It continues to be a driver of persistent inequality.
And it continues to deny people their fundamental human rights. It
destabilizes societies, undermines democracies, erodes the legitimacy of
governments, and the linkages between racism and gender inequality are
unmistakable.”
Sadly the concept of the United Nation's ' Peace, Dignity and Equality' mission has too often been overshadowed by political favouritism, bias and short termism, combined with undemocratic decision processes while being overly bureaucratic and slow in the way it deals with many issues, Despite this criticism peacekeeping should remain a central place in our responses to some of today's global challenges and conflict prevention should remain a high and central policy.
A Prayer for Peace
Lead us from death to life, from
falsehood to truth:
Lead us from despair to hope, from
fear to trust:
Lead us from hate to love, from war to
peace:
Let peace fill our hearts, our world'
our universe:
Peace, peace, peace.
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