International Day of Peace

     Today we celebrate International Day of Peace (World Peace Day). The United Nations General Assembly founded the International Day of Peace forty-one years ago, “… to strengthen the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples… through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.” World Peace Day is celebrated on September 21st annually, during the week the General Assembly convenes. The 2022 World Peace Day theme is “End Racism – Build Peace.” The UN calls for, “…a world free of racism and racial discrimination…a world where compassion and empathy override suspicion and hatred.” Other organizations such as Veterans for Peace, A Billion Acts of Peace, and PeaceJam (“Power To The Peaceful”) participate in national and global celebrations of World Peace Day.
     This year the world is confronted by yet another war initiated in February by Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a neighboring sovereign nation. The brutality of this war, the deaths of thousands of civilians and military personnel, the destruction of many villages, towns, and cities, and the many documented war crimes committed by the Russian military are representative of modern warfare. There is even evidence of genocide inflicted on the Ukrainians and their cultural heritage.
     But the war in Ukraine is not the only conflict in our troubled world. The number of violent conflicts worldwide is the highest since World War II. At least 15 additional war-like “conflicts” currently inflict death, suffering, and destruction on humanity. These tragedies include civil war and terrorist insurgency in Afghanistan; terrorist insurgency in Burkina Faso; drug war in Columbia; terrorist insurgency in DR Congo; civil war in Ethiopia that also involves Eritrea; terrorist insurgency and political unrest in Iraq; religious conflict in Israel; instability in Lebanon; a drug war in Mexico; civil war in Myanmar; terrorist insurgency in Nigeria; civil war in Somalia; ethnic conflict in South Sudan; civil war in Syria; and civil war in Yemen also involving Saudi Arabia. The several domestic conflicts in Central and South American countries such as Venezuela and Guatemala also are of great concern. These many wars and conflicts fuel poverty and starvation; result in mass migrations of civilians creating millions of refugees; include rape of women and girls and other forms of brutality and war crimes; destroy cultures and ecosystems; and pose deadly chemical, biological-agent, and nuclear threats. 
     As many as 3.2 billion people currently live in conflicted areas of the world. All too often, these conflicts are “culture wars” based on racism and include acts of ethnic cleansing. If ever there was a need to reflect on the desperate situation so many people experience, it is now; and if ever there was a need for non-violent actions demanding peaceful settlement of these numerous conflicts, it is now. As we continue to witness in Ukraine, war is never the answer to disputes. The death and destruction in Ukraine, and in the many nations listed above, leads to more conflicts, where all too often victims become perpetrators and victors become defeated in a never-ending cycle of violent conflicts. Let us all join the United Nations and commit to World Peace Day 2022 by observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire around the world. Perhaps it can be the beginning of something much bigger: an end to racism, ethnic conflicts, civil wars, and terrorism; and in the beginning of compassion, love, and peace.

https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace?gclid=CjwKCAjwg5uZBhATEiwAhhRLHtisq5zVuxBH9TOQeKqXHeFAlc7D085Qh0N2UtLkHIZ45gjxDUBueBoCc44QAvD_BwE

https://www.veteransforpeace.org/take-action/international-peace-day

https://www.billionacts.org/blog/redefining-peace-together?gclid=CjwKCAjwg5uZBhATEiwAhhRLHjkjk8dz7BdTOifv8kjX0Ae0qTgM4QYDpuXIo_sNQ46slHRnNuw4VxoClooQAvD_BwE

https://nationaltoday.com/international-day-of-peace/#:~:text=The%20International%20Day%20of%20Peace,among%20all%20nations%20and%20peoples

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/facts-about-world-conflicts/#:~:text=There%20Are%20at%20Least%2027%20Live%20Conflicts%20Right%20Now&text=Of%20those%20worsening%20are%20the,and%20the%20conflict%20in%20Ethiopia

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-currently-at-war

www.authorwaynerferrenjr.com