International Day of Peace: Know the history, theme and other details

Every year, the International Day of Peace is observed on September 21 across the world. As per the United Nations, "the observance of this day is devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. Across the globe there are some countries which continue to share borders that have had a violent and bloody past and some still continue to maintain peace through all the political tensions." 

History and Significance of the day 

The International Day of Peace was established by the UN General Assembly in 1981. Later, after 20 years of the establishment of the day, the UN General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the day as a period where countries practiced non-violence and cease-fire.

Theme of the day for 2021

This year, the theme for the day is "Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world." The United Nations has requested its members to think creatively and collectively in the Covid pandemic times about how to help everyone recover better, how to develop resilience, and how to transform the world into one that is more egalitarian, more just, inclusive, sustainable, and healthier. 

In a statement, the UN sated, "the coronavirus pandemic has hit the underprivileged and marginalized groups the hardest." Focussing the inequality around the world especially amidst the pandemic, the organisation said, "by April 2021, over 687 million Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered globally, but over 100 countries have still not received a single dose." 

The UN mentioned in its statement that "we must make peace with nature", this International Peace Day is also being utilised to turn attention towards our natural environment which is under an impending threat from climate change and global warming.