International Day Of Living Together in Peace

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"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.”- Audrey Azoulay Director-General of UNESCO. As human beings it is inevitable that we will have differences. Given we are from different backgrounds our perceptions are shaped accordingly. However, this does not mean that we cannot live together in peace. The United Nations (UN) states that living together in peace is all about accepting differences and having the ability to listen to, recognize, respect and appreciate others, as well as living in a peaceful and united way. According to the UN the day is meant to signify unity in difference and diversity. The UN reminds us that people around the world come from different races, genders, nationalities, classes, colours, disabilities and birth status. International Day of Living Together in Peace first came into being after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to declare 16 May as the International Day of Living Together in Peace on 8 December 2017. The first International Day of Living Together in Peace was observed in 2018. Ever since the end of World War II, the United Nations has been on a mission to work towards world peace. The year 2000 was recognized as 'The International Year for a Culture of Peace and from 2001 to 2010, the UN declared it the "International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for Children of the World.” The UN General-Assembly declared May 16th as the International Day of Living Together in Peace, as a means of regularly mobilizing the efforts of the international community to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity. 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 Day invites countries to further promote reconciliation to help to ensure peace and sustainable development, including by working with communities, faith leaders and other relevant actors, through reconciliatory measures and acts of service and by encouraging forgiveness and compassion among individuals. Background Following the devastation of the Second World War, the United Nations was established to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. One of its purposes is to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems, including by promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion. Unfortunately, security concerns regarding Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s warning to both Finland and Sweden regarding dire consequences concerning membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have thrown a spanner in this year’s commemoration of the International Day of Living Together in Peace. It appears that the more things change the more they remain the same. The world is very much in turmoil. There are numerous areas of conflict: the ongoing civil war in Syria, the belligerent Republic of North Korea which continues to test fire continental ballistic weapons into the Sea of Japan to the annoyance of her neighours. There are also issues surrounding the minority groups of the Uyghurs and the Rohingya who are being prosecuted by China and Myanmar respectively. The ongoing Israel/Palestinian conflict appears to have no end in sight. There is political instability in the African country of Mali. After gaining independence from France in 1960, Mali endured decades of instability. While the majority of the population resides in the south, Tuareg and Arab groups in the sparsely populated north rebelled against the government over the years attempting to gain autonomy for the region they named Azawad. The Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch’s report concludes that security forces from Ethiopia’s Amhara region are responsible for a campaign of ethnic cleansing, carried out through crimes against humanity and war crimes, targeting Tigrayan civilians in Western Tigray since the war began in November 2020. Given all the areas of conflict globally, it is impossible for the United Nations to police these hotspots. Sadly, for most individuals the International Day of Living Together in Peace is meaningless. The absence of peace is not only at the international level. In many communities war is a constant presence. In some communities in Jamaica, citizens dare not cross imaginary boundary lines which continue to separate our people. Is Peace an Illusion? For many people in the world peace is a mere illusion. The world has never been in a prolong state of peace. It has become commonplace to be attacked in a supermarket or even in a church. Many of these attacks are racially-motivated hate crimes and should be prosecuted as same. There have been many narcissistic and authoritarian leaders at various juncture in world history who have spread war and separation. Additionally, there are many societies which continue to battle with internal acts of terrorism. The internet has proven to be a fertile source of radicalization and poison of the collective consciousness of many. It appears the world cannot catch a break surrounding living together in peace. We must be mindful that governments alone cannot be the sole medium of peace. In order to have lasting peace and sustainable development there must be a coming together of stakeholders at the negotiation table. Regrettably, the voices of women are oftentimes absent from the negotiation table and this has proven problematic over the years. The time to reset the clock regarding peace and living together in now as the world cannot continue along this trajectory of war and conflict. We all can play a greater part in cultivating the seeds of peace and harmony. The harvest of sowing seeds of peace will undoubtedly impact generations to come in a positive manner. We must redouble our efforts to ensure that we can all live together in peace. Happy International Day of Living Together in Peace. In the words of Nelson Mandela, peace is not just the absence of conflict; peace is the creation of an environment where all can flourish, regardless of race, colour, creed, religion, gender, class, caste, or any other social markers of difference. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #InternationalDayofLivingTogetherInPeace

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