Int’l Peace Day: Peace begins with a Smile

The United Nations has designated September 21 as the annual International Day of Peace, commonly referred as World Peace Day. The dearth of war and bloodshed, such as may occur during a brief truce in a conflict territory to allow humanitarian assistance provision, is its primary focus. Since its inaugural observance in 1981, the day has been marked on the calendars of several countries, political organisations, and armed forces. The day officially begins with the ringing of the United Nations Peace Bell at UN Headquarters (in New York City). To serve as “a remembrance of the human cost of conflict,” the United Nations Association of Japan presented this bell, which is inscribed on one side with the words “Long live perfect global peace,” and is made from pennies contributed by children from every continent except Africa. War and violence dominate our media, but the International Day of Peace is a hopeful cautionary tale of what we can accomplish when we work around each other. The United Nations General Assembly designated the third Tuesday in September as International Day of Peace in 1981. The annual sessions of the United Nations General Assembly began on the same day. The day’s original and ongoing goal was to promote peace and unity among people everywhere. The assembly decided to celebrate this day every year on September 21 in 2001, twenty years after it had first been established. Since 2002, September 21 has been observed as a day of worldwide armistice and nonviolent for organisations in active battle, as well as a time to explore ways to create and sustain peace between all people. Conflicts and other forms of worldwide turmoil have disrupted global tranquilly. War has claimed numerous lives in 2019, as reported by the Global Population Review. Eight countries—Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Turkey, Somalia, Iraq, Mexico, and Libya—experienced over one thousand fatalities apiece. The current refugee dilemma is a direct result of war and repression. The UN Refugee Agency estimates that as of the end of 2019, 79.5 million people have been uprooted only due of these causes.
Nation-states with global influence, such as the United States, Russia, and China, have been stoking conflict in their pursuit of geopolitical dominance. To use only two examples: the catastrophe in Yemen and the turbulence in Afghanistan. In addition to disrupting international harmony, the Covid-19 Pandemic has also hampered efforts to improve people’s physical well-being and mental well-being. Peace may be achieved. Most civilizations all through historical record have enjoyed relative peace and stability. We have a substantially lower mortality rate in times of conflict than our forebears did. Since the UN was founded and the Charter of the UN was drafted, states have been bound to refrain from using force against one another except when they do so in self-defence or with the approval of the UN Security Council. Peace makes life better, therefore we study past peacemakers and peacekeepers to find out what we can do now to contribute to global stability. This is no easy task, but we must work toward changing the architecture and character of international governance if we ever want to live in a peaceful world. It is imperative that we all fight united with the United Nations to combat the present epidemic and any efforts to use it to foment bigotry or hate. Prioritizing the fight for a more just global order should be a top priority for think tanks, revolutionary parties, and conscientious nations. The firearms must be silenced and nothing less will do.
(The author is a freelancer. Views are his own)
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