The international Day of Peace unofficially know as World Peace Day, September 21st. Every year on the International Day of Peace, the United Nations calls on all nations and people to put down their weapons and reaffirm their commitment to living in harmony with one and other.
I attended two commemorations:
1. The Culture of Peace was observed on September 13, 2019 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Solidarity Message: H.E. Leymah Gbowee, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Keynote Address: His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene (King of the Ashanti people of Ghana). Musical Interlude
International Peace and Security, can be best strengthened, not by actions of States alone, but by women and men through the inculcation of the culture of peace and non- violence in every human being and every sphere of activity. The objective of culture of peace is the empowerment of people.
Culture of Peace as a concept means that every one of us needs to consciously make peace and nonviolence a part of our daily existence, we should not isolate peace as something separate or distant. We should know how to relate to one another without being disrespectful, without neglect, without prejudice.
2. I also attended the Peace Day Commemoration at the UN Headquarters in New York on September 21.
The Secretary-General of the UN, Mr. Antonio Guterres celebrated the International Day of Peace by ringing the Peace Bell and observed a minute of silence for all those victims of the war and conflicts around the world, on September 20, in the Peace Garden at United Nations Headquarters NYC.
Then a Student Observance at General Assembly Hall followed the ceremony. This year’s Theme of the International Day of Peace is “Climate Action for Peace” brings a clear message: Climate change causes clear threats to international peace and security. Natural disasters dis- place three times as many people as conflicts. The salinization of water and crops is endangering food security, and the impact on public health is escalating. The growing tensions over re- sources and mass movements of people are affecting every country on every continent. The Global Climate emergency is a threat to security and stability. As coastal areas and degraded inland areas are become uninhabitable, millions of people are being forced to seek safety and better lives elsewhere. With extreme weather events and disaster becoming more frequent and servers, disputes over dwindling resources risk fueling climate-related conflict.