Addis Ababa: Amid escalating global conflicts, deepening divisions and mounting crisis, the UN Secretary-General on Friday urged everyone around the world to ‘cultivate a culture of peace’.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the President of the 79th Session of the General Assembly, Philémon Yang, gave remarks and rang the Peace Bell to commemorate the International Day of Peace with strong hopes for World Peace.
Speaking at the annual Peace Bell Ceremony, António Guterres warned that war is spreading, inequalities are growing, and new technologies are being weaponized without safeguards.
‘International institutions must be better positioned to respond,’ he stressed.
The Secretary-General’s appeal comes ahead of a pivotal moment for global cooperation.
Later this month, world leaders will gather for the Summit of the Future, a landmark event aimed at tackling pressing challenges impacting human rights, climate change and security, military technology – and efforts to get the Sustainable Developmen
t Goals (SDGs) back on track.
‘We have a chance for change…in short, we must ‘cultivate a culture of peace’,’ Guterres emphasized.
That, Guterres continued, is also the theme of this year’s International Day of Peace, which will be marked on 21 September.
‘It is a cause all us devotees of peace and justice must rally behind, this day and everyday – through the Summit of the Future and beyond,’ he said.
Establishing the International Day in 1981, the General Assembly declared that it should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.
Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly further designated the International Day as a time of non-violence; calling for ceasefires worldwide.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Philémon Yang, President of the 79th session of the General Assembly, underscored the need to restore trust and solidarity among nations.
‘Let us ring the Peace Bell today and send a message of hope for peace. Let us work towar
ds tolerance and dialogue,’ he urged.
In so doing, we can also accelerate progress towards sustainable development and ensure universal respect for the human dignity of everyone, everywhere, he added.
The Peace Bell ceremony was held to commemorate the International Day of Peace with strong hopes for World Peace.
The ceremony included the traditional ringing of the Peace Bell, which was cast in the 1950s from coins and medals donated by people all over the world, including the Pope, as a symbol of hope for peace.
The Bell is rung twice a year: on the first day of spring, at the Vernal Equinox, and to commemorate the International Day for Peace.
The Peace Bell has also sounded on other special occasions, such as on 26 April 2011 to mark 25 years since the devastating Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency