UNITED NATIONS
\nUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Friday urged everyone around the world to \u201ccultivate a culture of peace\u201d as global conflicts escalate, divisions deepen and crises mount.
\nSpeaking at the annual Peace Bell Ceremony UN Headquarters in New York, he said, \u201cWe come together today to sound the call for peace.\u201d
\nAt the same time, the UN chief warned that war is spreading, inequalities are growing, and new technologies are being weaponized without safeguards.
\n\u201cInternational institutions must be better positioned to respond,\u201d Guterres stressed.
\nThe Secretary-General\u2019s appeal comes ahead of a pivotal moment for global cooperation.
\nLater this month, world leaders will gather for the Summit of the Future, a landmark event aimed at tackling pressing challenges impacting human rights, climate change and security, military technology \u2013 and efforts to get the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track.
\n\u201cWe have a chance for change\u2026in short, we must \u2018cultivate a culture of peace\u2019,\u201d he emphasized.
\nThat, Guterres added, is also the theme of this year\u2019s International Day of Peace, which will be marked on 21 September.
\n\u201cIt is a cause all us devotees of peace and justice must rally behind, this day and everyday \u2013 through the Summit of the Future and beyond,\u201d he said.
\nEstablishing the International Day in 1981, the General Assembly declared that it should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.
\nTwo decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly further designated the International Day as a time of non-violence; calling for ceasefires worldwide.
\nAlso speaking at the ceremony, Philemon Yang, President of the 79th session of the General Assembly, underscored the need to restore trust and solidarity among nations.
\nHe noted conflicts and crises mounting \u2013 from Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti and elsewhere \u2013 adding that people are \u201cdesperately looking for a glimmer of hope\u201d.
\n\u201cLet us ring the Peace Bell today and send a message of hope for peace. Let us work towards tolerance and dialogue,\u201d he urged.
\nIn so doing, we can also accelerate progress towards sustainable development and ensure universal respect for the human dignity of everyone, everywhere, he added.
\nThe ceremony included the traditional ringing of the Peace Bell, which was cast in the 1950s from coins and medals donated by people all over the world, including the Pope, as a symbol of hope for peace.
\nThe Bell is rung twice a year: on the first day of spring, at the Vernal Equinox, and to commemorate the International Day for Peace.
\nThe Peace Bell has also sounded on other special occasions, such as on 26 April 2011 to mark 25 years since the devastating Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Friday urged everyone around the world to \u201ccultivate a culture of peace\u201d as global conflicts escalate, divisions deepen and crises mount. Speaking at the annual Peace Bell Ceremony UN Headquarters in New York, he said, \u201cWe come together today to sound the call for peace.\u201d At the same time, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":409252,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-431316","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n