The Director-General of the World Health Organization – Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on the International Day of Living Together in Peace, has called on world leaders and countries to put an end to wars. The theme for this year’s peace day is “End racism. Build peace“.
Ghebreyesus stated, “Millions of people don’t live in peace. Millions don’t have access to food and health care. Millions are dying due to war. On International Day of Living Together in Peace, we call on all world leaders to work together to end wars and secure peace for everyone, everywhere”.
Meanwhile, UNESCO stated that living in peace is all about accepting differences and having the capability to listen to, recognize, respect and appreciate others and to live in a peaceful and united way.
The International Day of Living Together in Peace was declared in its resolution 72/130, passed by the United Nations General Assembly.
Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO on the day, cited, “In a world in which we regularly witness tensions, acts of hatred, rejection of others and discrimination, the pursuit of peace and the will to live together harmoniously is more crucial than ever”.
Following the above statement, the Director-General added, “UNESCO, and the United Nations as a whole, are striving on a daily basis to provide people with the means to achieve peace, not only because peace is one of the major goals of the 2030 Agenda but also because it is a precondition for sustainable development and for the common good”.
The motive of the day is to encourage nations to promote peace and sustainable development, including by working with the communities, faith leaders & other relevant actors, through reconciliatory measures and acts of service and by encouraging forgiveness and compassion among individuals.
“The Day aims to uphold the desire to live and act together, united in differences and diversity, in order to build a sustainable world of peace, solidarity and harmony”, the official website of UNESCO cites.