International Day of Peace is being observed on September 21 since 1981 wherein UN invites all nations and people to honour cessation of hostilities during the day and raise important issues.
The International Day of Peace was initally marked in third Tuesday of September. It was in 2001 that the official was declared as September 21.
How is it commemorated?
To commemorate the day, UN Peace Bell is rung at its headuquarters in New York City. The bell, made out of coins medals donated by representatives of UN countries, the Pope and people from over 60 different nations, was modeled after Hanamido, a Japanese temple that symbolises the place of Buddha's birth.
Theme 2022
The International Day of Peace which is marked to build peaceful and sustainable is observed along the lines of a theme. This year the UN has decided to raise awareness on racism.
The official website of the event quoted Secretary General António Guterres saying, "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.”
Why was it necessited?
During the COVID pandemic, xenophobia, racism was on the rise with murder of George Floyd and others sparked protests across the globe. Moreover, the conflicts erupting across the globe caused people to flee and incidents on race-based discrimination rose, the UN stated on their website.
The UN called upon everyone to foster peace as hate speech and violence directed at racial minorities rose; they asked everyone to join hands in tackling racism.
