UN Secretary-General’s 100-Day Countdown Messages to the International Day of Peace
2011 – Peace and Democracy: Make Your Voice Heard
Secretary-General: Ban Ki-moon
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.
This year – on its 30th anniversary – the Day’s theme is “Peace and Democracy: make your voice heard”.
The Preamble to the United Nations Charter states that the Organization was founded to prevent and resolve international conflicts and help build a culture of peace in the world.
Peace and democracy are inextricably linked. Together, they form a partnership that promotes the well-being of all. Embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, democracy supports an environment for a host of political rights and civil liberties.
In line with the Day’s theme, something profoundly remarkable is happening in the world. Young women and men everywhere are demonstrating the power of solidarity by reaching out and rallying together for the common goal of dignity and human rights. This powerful force brings with it the potential to create a peaceful and democratic future. Add your voice!
There are many ways to participate in democratic practices, including taking part in dialogue on constitutional processes, advocating for civil society empowerment, joining the struggle for gender equality and against discrimination, engaging in civic education and promoting voter registration.
The International Day of Peace offers people globally, a shared date to organize events and undertake deeds celebrating the importance of peace and democracy in realistic and useful ways.
2012 – Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future
Secretary-General: Ban Ki-moon
Today, we start the 100-day countdown to the observance of the International Day of Peace, when we call on combatants around the world to put down their weapons and try to find peaceful solutions to their conflicts.
The International Day of Peace, marked every year on 21 September, gives us all a chance to reflect on the unconscionable toll — moral, physical, material — wrought by war. Those costs are borne not only by us today, but by future generations as well.
That is why this year’s theme is “Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future.” It highlights the fact that we cannot possibly think about building a sustainable future if there is no sustainable peace. Armed conflicts attack the very pillars of sustainable development, robbing people of the opportunity to develop, to create jobs, to safeguard the environment, to fight poverty, to reduce the risk from disasters, to advance social equity and to ensure that everyone has enough to eat.
One week from today, as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development opens in Rio de Janeiro, the world will have an opportunity to fight back. With tens of thousands of politicians, policy-makers, social activists, business leaders and others mobilized for action, Rio+20 can help us to create a global roadmap for a sustainable future, the future we want.
We want a future where natural resources are protected and valued rather than used to finance wars, where children can be educated at school and not recruited into armies, where economic and social inequalities are resolved through dialogue instead of violence.
If we are to build such a future, we must all play our individual part. I urge everyone, between now and 21 September, to think about how they can contribute. Let us work together to ensure that the Road from Rio leads us to sustainable development, sustainable peace… and a secure future for all.
2013 – Education for Peace
Secretary-General: Ban Ki-moon
Today we begin the 100-day countdown to the observance of the International Day of Peace, when the United Nations calls on all combatants around the world to lay down their arms and to give peace a real chance.
The International Day of Peace, marked on 21 September each year, offers an opportunity for the world to pause, reflect and consider how best to break the vicious cycle of violence that conflict creates.
The theme for the Day this year is “Education for Peace”. The United Nations will examine the role education can play in fostering global citizenship. It is not enough to teach children how to read, write and count. Education has to cultivate mutual respect for others and the world in which we live, and help people forge more just, inclusive and peaceful societies.
This kind of education is a central focus of my Global Education First Initiative, which calls on governments to place education at the top of their agenda.
I call on everyone – whether governments, parties to conflicts, religious institutions, community leaders, the media, academics, or civil society groups – to play their part. We must support peace education programmes, protect students and teachers from conflict, help rebuild schools destroyed by war, and ensure all girls and boys have access to a quality education that includes learning about resolving and preventing conflicts.
Over the next 100 days, let us resolve to learn together how to create a universal culture of peace.
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2014 – The Right of Peoples to Peace
Secretary-General: Ban Ki-moon
Today marks the 100-day countdown to the International Day of Peace, when the United Nations calls on nations, communities and individuals to renounce conflict and promote harmony.
The theme for the Day this year acknowledges the 30th anniversary of the General Assembly Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace, with its central message that humanity’s sustainable progress and the realization of fundamental rights and freedoms depend on peace and security. It is central to the Rights up Front approach, which calls upon the international community to act earlier and more concertedly in the face of human rights violations, which are often the precursors of worse to come.
Over the coming 100 days we need to unite as a human family to deliver the right to peace by encouraging fighters to lay down their arms. Let us stand in solidarity with the civilians killed by terrorism and war, the traumatised families whose homes and futures lie in ruins, the countries whose development has been set back by decades.
History has shown that, no matter how fierce, conflict can end, peace can prevail and reconciliation can triumph. On 21 September, at concerts around the world — in major cities and small towns, in conflict zones and peaceful communities – people will broadcast this essential message. They will celebrate the value of human diversity and the strength of our unity.
As we start the countdown, I urge every peace-loving person to engage with their friends and neighbours, their community organizations and governments. Together, let us demand the right of peoples to peace.
2015 – Partnerships for Peace – Dignity for All
Secretary-General: Ban Ki-moon
Every year on the International Day of Peace, the United Nations calls on the people of the world to reaffirm their commitment to living in harmony as members of a single human family.
This year’s commemoration, “Partnerships for Peace — Dignity for All”, highlights the importance of cooperation in silencing the guns and advancing the cause. Without the support of governments, civil society, the private sector, faith-based groups and non-governmental organizations, peace will remain elusive.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the United Nations as well as a transition to a new global sustainable development agenda and meaningful action on climate change.
Over the next 100 days, let us stand with the millions of people across the world who are suffering the devastating impact of violence and conflict. Let us share ideas and plans for helping and supporting them in their time of dire need.
Together, as “partners for peace”, we can achieve a world of peace, prosperity and dignity for all.
2016 – The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace
Secretary-General: Ban Ki-moon, June 10 2016
Every year on the International Day of Peace, the United Nations calls on the peoples of the world to remember their common humanity and join together to build a future free of strife. It calls on all of us to observe a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, and to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day.
This year’s theme, “The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace”, highlights how ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring broadly shared prosperity all contribute to global harmony. When we all work together, we can make peace possible, starting with 24 hours of peace on 21 September.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals were unanimously adopted by the 193 Member States of the United Nations at an historic summit in September 2015. They are universal, applying to all countries. And they are integral to achieving peace.
Sustainable Development Goal 16 specifically focuses on “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”. Yet, peace runs like a thread through all 17 of the Goals.
When people feel secure in their abilities to provide for their families, when they are given access to the resources they need to live healthy lives, and when they feel truly included in their societies, then they are much less likely to engage in conflict.
That is why, over the next 100 days, we must recognize that development and peace are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. We need to work together to help promote and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The leaders of the world have given us a clear blueprint, and by following it, we can help build a future of peace and prosperity.
2017 – Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All
Secretary-General: António Guterres
Upon taking up my duties as Secretary-General in January of this year, my very first act was to issue an appeal for peace — a call on citizens, governments and leaders everywhere to put peace first.
The International Day of Peace, observed every year on 21 September, embodies our shared aspiration to end the needless suffering caused by armed conflict. It offers a moment for the peoples of the world to acknowledge the ties that bind them together, irrespective of their countries of origin. It is a day on which the United Nations calls for a 24-hour global ceasefire, with the hope that one day of peace can lead to another, and another, and ultimately to a stilling of the guns.
Yet there is more to achieving peace than laying down weapons. True peace requires building bridges, combating discrimination and standing up for the human rights of all the world’s people.
That is why this year’s theme for the International Day of Peace is: “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All”, focusing in particular on the plight of refugees and migrants throughout the world. Our obligation as an international community is to ensure that everyone forced to flee their homes receives the protection to which they are entitled under international law. Our duty as a human family is to replace fear with kindness.
Over the next 100 days, let us remember that millions of vulnerable members of our society, many of whom have lost everything, need our understanding and assistance. Let us strategize together about what we can do to help them. Let us recognize the many ways in which they contribute to and strengthen their host countries and communities. And let us redouble our efforts to address the root causes of conflict, advance our work for the Sustainable Development Goals, and heighten our emphasis on preventing violence in the first place.
By opening our hearts, joining hands and reaching out to refugees and migrants, we can move closer to attaining peace, prosperity and protection for all.
2018 – The Right to Peace – The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70
Secretary-General: António Guterres
The International Day of Peace, observed every year on 21 September, embodies our shared aspiration to end conflict in all its forms and to safeguard the human rights of all people. It is a day on which the United Nations calls for a 24-hour global ceasefire, with the hope that one day in our lifetime we will witness an end to violence.
Yet there is more to achieving peace than laying down weapons. True peace requires standing up for the human rights of all the world’s people. That is why this year’s theme for the International Day of Peace is: “The Right to Peace — The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70”.
As the observance approaches, let us redouble our efforts to address the root causes of conflict and advance our work for the Sustainable Development Goals, including by promoting inclusive societies, providing access to justice and building accountable institutions.
Let us stand up for human rights for all in the name of peace for all.
2019 – Climate Action for Peace
Secretary-General: António Guterres
Every year on 21 September, the United Nations calls on all nations and people to put down their weapons and reaffirm their commitment to living in harmony with one another. Today, as we mark the 100-day countdown to the next International Day of Peace, I invite global reflection on this year’s timely theme.
“Climate Action for Peace” brings a clear message: the global climate emergency is a threat to security and stability. As coastal areas and degraded inland areas are becoming uninhabitable, millions of people are being forced to seek safety and better lives elsewhere. With extreme weather events and disasters becoming more frequent and severe, disputes over dwindling resources risk fueling climate-related conflict.
Last month, I visited the South Pacific and saw the challenges being endured by those on the frontlines of this existential danger. But it is not just remote islands whose future is in jeopardy. What is happening there is a sign of what is in store for all humankind. Urgent climate action is a global imperative.
To mobilize the ambition we need, I am convening a Climate Action Summit on 23 September, at UN Headquarters in New York. I have asked world leaders to come with concrete and realistic plans to rapidly accelerate action to implement the Paris Agreement, and to make a pivotal shift toward a cleaner, safer and greener future. In this endeavor, they will be backed by the passionate voices of young women and men around the world, who understand their future is at stake.
This is the battle of our lives, and a race against time. We can win — and we must. Solutions are in our hands: tax pollution, not people; stop subsidizing fossil fuels; stop building new coal plants by 2020; focus on a green economy, not a grey economy. I count on your continued support as we strive to build a world where we can live every day in harmony with the environment and with each other.
2020 – Shaping Peace Together
Secretary-General: António Guterres
Each year, on 21 September, the United Nations calls on everyone, everywhere, to observe 24 hours of non-violence and ceasefire. Today, 100 days before the International Day of Peace, it is essential to remember that our common enemy is a virus that causes widespread suffering and risks reversing decades of human progress.
That is why, as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, I called on all warring parties to lay down their weapons. These are not normal times, and our responses cannot be routine. The pandemic is not just a health issue. It is having direct and troubling effects on development, peace and security.
Our global ceasefire appeal is resonating in many places and with many different groups. While distrust can make implementation difficult, I have been heartened by the strong support the appeal has received from civil society, which can influence and mobilize people at the grass roots.
This year’s theme for the Day, “Shaping Peace Together,” reflects the reason the United Nations was founded. Throughout this year, to mark our seventy-fifth anniversary, the United Nations is asking people to engage in a global conversation about how to tackle the greatest global challenges together, from climate change and poverty to racism and gender inequality.
Let us use these dialogues, as well as the International Day of Peace, to exchange ideas on how to achieve a global ceasefire, heal our planet and turn the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity for peace. Let us build back better for more inclusive and peaceful societies.
2021 – Recovering Better for an Equitable and Sustainable World
Secretary-General: António Guterres
Every year on 21 September, the United Nations invites people around the world to celebrate peace by observing 24 hours of ceasefire and non-violence.
As we strive to heal from the COVID-19 pandemic and reimagine a better future for people and planet, this year’s theme is “Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world.”
Peace is the foundation of that recovery. The global vaccination effort cannot advance amidst armed conflict.
Nor can we build a sustainable, resilient, peaceful world while we are at war with nature. Recovery efforts offer an opportunity to transform our relationship with our planet and our environment.
The world cannot go back to what it was. As we count down to the International Day of Peace, I call on people everywhere to be part of a transformation for peace, by standing up against hatred and discrimination, by caring for the planet, and by showing the global solidarity that is so vital at this time.
2022 – End racism. Build peace.
Secretary-General: António Guterres
Every year on 21 September, the United Nations calls on all people to lay down weapons and reaffirm their commitment to living in harmony with one another.
Today, as we mark the 100-day countdown to the International Day of Peace, this shared aspiration is more pressing than ever.
This year’s theme is “End racism. Build peace.” Racism poisons societies, normalizes discrimination and spurs violence. We must fight it by countering hate speech, promoting dialogue and addressing the root causes of inequality.
Over the next 100 days and beyond, let us work to safeguard the human rights of all people and build peaceful and inclusive societies. Together, we can realize the vision of a world free of racism and racial discrimination.
2023 – Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals
Secretary-General: António Guterres
Our world needs peace – now more than ever.
Yet conflict, rising inequalities, persistent injustices, humanity’s war on nature, and a global financial system that is outdated, dysfunctional and unfair, are blocking the path to peace.
This year’s International Day of Peace will focus on “Actions for Peace” and how the Sustainable Development Goals are essential to preventing conflict and maintaining peace.
The 100-day countdown to the International Day of Peace starts now.
Together, let us take action now to build a more inclusive, sustainable, and peaceful world for all.
2024 – Cultivating a Culture of Peace
Secretary-General: António Guterres
Every year on 21 September, the United Nations invites the world to mark the International Day of Peace. This year’s focus is on “Cultivating a culture of peace”.
In a world mired by conflict, inequalities and discrimination, we must strive ever harder to promote dialogue, empathy and human rights for all.
As we begin the 100-day countdown to Peace Day, let us plant the seeds for non-violence, justice and hope.